I’m writing this on the 22nd of July – probably about 2 days before you will get it. But the 22nd has been a big day for me for the past 18 years, because for the past 18 years I have been blessed to be called into the office of pastoral ministry. Not only have…
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Posts from 2025 (Page 3)
One of the things that Liz and I decided to do while I had some extra time on sabbatical was to go to Disney World, a place where Liz and I had not been ourselves in almost 20 years and our three girls had never been. As you well know, Disney’s way of talking about…
In the past week there was an armadillo carcass at the bottom of the hill. I noticed it walking to the gym, and boy o’ boy, did I notice it. Yuck. I did my best not to retch too badly as I walked past it. On the way back from the gym, I held my…
Happy July everyone. That means there is officially one month left of my sabbatical. It’s been an interesting experience for me as I’m sure its been an interesting experience for you all. During this last month, I am dedicating time to “re-entry” meaning some reflection and planning for when I’m back to ministering full time…
It really shouldn’t be a surprise, we do live in Florida, after all. But, just in case you hadn’t noticed: It’s hot outside. And maybe rainy too, which just means that it’s steamy hot. Again, we do live in Florida. We should expect this. But that doesn’t keep us from complaining about it. It doesn’t…
Grace and peace to you from St. Louis, Missouri. We are up here for some days as we reconnect with family and see some sights. Just yesterday, my girls got to see Concordia Seminary, where I studied to be a pastor. They were sweet about it, but I don’t think they were terrifically impressed –…
Do you want to be healed? It’s an odd question that Jesus asks a man in John 5. Our initial response is, “of course I want to be healed, Lord.” But soon after our initial response, some other things can creep in. After all, the Bible tells us that this man had been under this…
This week I get to do a little sabbatical breaking and go to the convention of the Florida-Georgia District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. If you’re unfamiliar, this is a business meeting of the churches in our District. Just under 200 churches will be represented, each with two votes – one for their pastor,…
I’ve been on a few airplanes the past couple of weeks. Trip to Indiana, trip to Kentucky, trip to California. Airplanes are funny places. People are kind of weird on airplanes. Not much of anybody really *wants* to be on the airplane, they just want to arrive at their destination without too much hassle about…
My morning devotion today came from John 14, in a part of that chapter, Jesus says “I do not give to you as the world gives.” That brings up the question, “how DOES the world give?” What is Jesus differentiating Himself from? Perhaps it is giving out of self-interest, giving simply to receive something back.…