I just read “Uncovering History,” the June/July Lutheran Witness article about Rev. Franz Julius Biltz and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Concordia, Mo. In July, our granddaughter, Layla Denine Oetting, was baptized at St. Paul’s, becoming the sixth consecutive generation of Oettings to be baptized there. Layla’s great-great-great-great grandparents, Christian and Marie Knigge Oetting, homesteaded
by Dr. Leslie (Jack) Fyans Earlier this summer, the news was filled with stories about the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. The international attention this generated was astounding, even for a former Jackson fan like me! I have compassion for the loved ones of these celebrities, but I wonder how we can help
An Errant Quest A badly bruised knight returned to the castle of his lord after a long and arduous quest. He was a mess. His armor was dented, his helmet askew, his face scarred, and his lance broken. His horse limped, and the knight himself listed slightly in the saddle. His lord saw him coming
by Rev. Thomas E. Engel Imagine it is 1840. Like many others, you have escaped a famine or a revolution in Europe. You and your family are now immigrants in New York, and you live in a cramped apartment. The summer is hot, the city is dirty, and it stinks from overcrowding. You are working
Maybe it’s just our growing older, but each year, September seems to arrive more quickly than anticipated. Suddenly, our vacation is a receding memory, the kids are back in school, Labor Day is upon us, and we are left to wonder, “What happened to summer and all the plans I made? Where did the time go?” One item that occupies much of our time is work.
I fear no harm, for with his arm
He shall embrace and shield me;
so to my God I yield me.
I have a few comments regarding The Shack and the article by Rev. Steven Borst in the May Lutheran Witness. Even though, as Pastor Borst says, the book has some good points, my concern is its vicious attacks on Orthodox theology and the anti-church and misleading messages the book portrays. Many people may read this
I appreciate Dr. Karl Barth’s response to my April Witness article, “Reservations on the Resurrection?” and I certainly agree that the Gospel writers did a much finer job of recall than did my students in the illustration provided! The point, again, was simply to demonstrate that, in terms of the human dimension, people seeing the
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