by Dr. Leslie (Jack) Fyans I have lived in the upper Midwest all my life but have always dreaded the winters. The gloomy weather depresses me. Do other people have this problem, or is it just me? All of us are affected by our natural environment, and our bodies seem to be especially sensitive to
Say What? Leaving church one Sunday morning not long ago, my niece and her husband asked Kiera, their 3-year-old daughter, what she had learned in Sunday School. “Jesus was boring,” she responded proudly. Relieved she wasn’t overheard by someone, they proceeded straight to their van. Once again, Mom and Dad asked the question: “What did
by Rev. Timothy C. Cartwright The Celestial Surgeon If I have faltered more or less In my great task of happiness; If I have moved among my race And shown no glorious morning face; If beams from happy human eyes Have moved me not; if morning skies, Books, and my food, and summer
I have come joyfully and thankfully to cherish the words, “This is My body and blood, given and poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.”
by Martin S. Sommer Editor’s note: Along with Prof. Theodore Graebner, Prof. Martin S. Sommer shared the editorship of The Lutheran Witness for 35 years, from 1914 to 1949. This column is from 75 years ago, Jan. 1, 1935, in many respects, a time not unlike our own–economic uncertainty, high unemployment (more than 20 percent
by Dr. Robert D. Newton Is it possible to be faithful in following Christ “into all the world” and still get lost? Ask seasoned missionaries, and if they’re honest, they will undoubtedly say, “Yes!” Priscilla and Bob Newton at home in the Philippines in the late 1970s I doubt that anyone would want to question
by Anthony A. Cook The View from Here Editor’s Note: With this online column, we offer occasional essays on topics that appear in The Lutheran Witness or that have broad interest among our readers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Every social group has a story–a narrative that gives the group meaning, defines values, articulates goals, identifies enemies, and records
by Rev. John T. Pless As I write these lines, the world reels with the news of a devastating earthquake in Haiti that has left a death toll numbering in the thousands. In this impoverished nation, the magnitude of suffering cannot be measured. Closer to home, senseless workplace murders, seemingly random violence, and cases of
At the heart of it all, as so vividly expressed by Luther’s famous Christmas hymn, “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come”—the focus of two of our stories this month—is the birth of God’s Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
This is a response to Pastor Michael Brockman’s October letter regarding distrust in the Missouri Synod. Over the years, I consistently told the people in my congregation that one of the great things about the Missouri Synod is that regardless of where they worshiped, they will never hear false teaching from an LCMS pulpit. Therein
I received my copy of the October Lutheran Witness today and was skimming through the articles. Seth Long’s “Foolish Things of the World” caught my eye, and I began to read the story. I got to the line that all understanding is trivial as long as we come to understand those six simple words: “Jesus
As someone living with Asperger’s syndrome, I feel compelled to write a few words regarding the “Foolish Things of the World” article in the October Lutheran Witness. Autism is a spectrum disorder, with degrees of severity and variance. This means that many of us can understand deep theological concepts, although one’s level of communication may