The Magazine

God Creates Calamity

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

10 Minutes with . . . Bishop Walter Obare

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

Nagging at the conscience

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

Worship for the Weary (Web-exclusive Story)

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

The least of these

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

A heritage from the Lord

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

Lutheran Witness: January 2012

Reflecting on the barrage of disasters in 2011 brings to mind the plea of the Psalmist: “How long, O Lord, will you look on?” (Ps. 35:17).

Shedding Some Light

Beware of DadI was greeting students at the door this morning, and one mom said she was upset about her child’s homework. Her daughter had a report on Mexico due, and the two of them made some guacamole to share with her class. The child woke up the next morning to discover Dad and his

A Stress-free Christmas

by Rev. Dr. Andrew Steinmann Perhaps the greatest irony of December is that as we celebrate the coming of the Savior to free us from sin and death, Christmas has become one of the most stressful times of the year. Many merchants feel pressure to make sales, knowing that their profit for the year is

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