My husband teases me about being “an old Lutheran.” In this day of universal informality, lots of decency and manners seem to have gone out of style, even in church. Perhaps it is the floor plan of our church, but I can’t help but notice that people don’t seem to observe what was once known
by Dr. William B. Knippa I was diagnosed several months ago with a terminal illness. I think I’m over the initial shock of hearing that news. I have wonderful family support, and I know heaven is waiting for me, but I’m still scared. I’ve heard people talk about dying a “good death” or “dying well.”
‘O Sleeper, Awake!’ My husband’s beloved grandmother was called to her eternal home at the age of 101 (while holding her pastor’s hand). During her funeral service, our 5-year-old son, Jack, became restless. First, he asked to take off his shirt because he was hot. Then he was hungry. When he said he was sleepy,
by Rev. Thomas E. Engel Our old barbecue grill was as rusted as an old wreck in a junkyard. So my wife and I spent the early part of April shopping for a new gas grill. When we found one that met our needs, the grill’s big box barely fit in the trunk of our
At one convention, . . . I got a question I don’t recall having been asked before: ‘If you could change one thing in the LCMS, what would it be?’
Yes, print remains a significant means of communication (in spite of numerous premature obituaries); yet new tools increasingly play important roles in the ways in which we hold conversations with one another.
We all love having kids in church, but what should we do when the crying starts?
Dr. Dean O. Wenthe Apocrypha: n., ancient books that offer drama, spiritual insight, and a surprisingly “good read.” Intrigue. Betrayal. Passion. Violence. These words bring to mind much of what we read in the newspapers or view as entertainment. They sound like a tragic but true description of modern society. It might come as a
I am certain the child must have heard a parent or other significant adult say something about being “down in the dumps,” a phrase we use when things aren’t going well for us.
by Richard C. Eyer As I sat in the waiting room thumbing through the only magazines available–women’s magazines–I skimmed an article intending to prepare young women for having sex on a first date. There were no prohibitions for doing so, only precautions about the kind of men with whom a woman should allow herself to
by Dr. Leslie (Jack) Fyans My elderly mother has been living with us for 2½ years. During that time she has needed more and more care. I’ve learned to help her with “routine” tasks such as dressing, toileting, etc. I love her, but I am getting worn out in the process, and I’m afraid I’m
by R. Reed Lessing The year is 588 B.C. and Nebuchadnezzar, the great Babylonian king, is establishing his headquarters at Riblah in modern-day Syria. Having destroyed the Judean fortresses at Lachish and Azekah, his troops are beginning to lay siege to the prize, the jewel, the crown of his military campaign, Jerusalem (cf. 2 Kings