by Jill Hasstedt I was impressed when I visited the home of another young mother. Though her children were just toddlers, she had placed simply printed labels on items all over her house. Every day, she was teaching them new vocabulary and letter recognition using engaging activities and alphabet-themed snacks. Her goals were for enrichment

by Dr. James M. Tallmon Roughly 20 years ago, a group of homeschoolers, inspired by British novelist Dorothy Sayers’ “The Lost Tools of Learning,” set out to apply the Sayers model to educating their children. A little more than a decade ago, a group of Missouri Synod educators, impressed by that movement but wanting to

by Rev. Larry Vogel I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides Me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know Me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides Me; I am the Lord, and there is no

by Adriane Dorr A food shortage, lack of water, starving Somalian refugees and hungry Kenyan Lutherans: Each of these hardships, caused by the current drought in East Africa, is cause for the Rev. Walter Obare Omwanza, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK), to pray. But Obare and the members of the

Thank you, Dr. Jerald Joersz, for addressingthe question on the certainty of God’s forgiveness in the November issue of The Lutheran Witness. I appreciated how you directed them to God’s Word and Sacrament and not to their feelings as the place to find theassurance of God’s grace. However, I alsowouldhaveencouragedthem totake advantage ofprivate Confession and

by Rev. Tim Pauls I’m all for hearty praise, good feelings and new insight in worship, but if these are lacking, it doesn’t mean the service is a bust. I offer the hypothetical of a parishioner who is fighting cancer. Given his illness and the withering effects of chemotherapy, he’s low on energy of all

My parents were married for 10 years and were sad that they were still childless. When they heard in 1930 that the orphanage in Fort Dodge, Iowa (“The Least of These,” November 2011), was opening, my grandmother and my mother went to visit that day and actually came home with a darling baby boy! There

Thank you, Pastor Harrison, for your letter in the November Lutheran Witness. The first thing that came to my mind was Psalm 127. David C. LoomisAyrshire, Iowa Read More Letters to the Editor Send letters to Letters, c/o The Lutheran Witness, 1333 S. Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7295; or send them via e-mail to

2011 was a year filled with disasters, but the Gospel and LCMS mercy work have made an impact around the world.

Get a unique glimpse into how the earthquake in Japan highlighted the convention-mandated Synod-wide restructuring efforts.

Learn how your donations to Lutheran Malaria Initiative have saved lives and changed communities.