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BYSSIW. Because You said so, I will. This week’s red letter challenge is from John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will obey My commands.” This is a tough verse for a lot of people. Unfortunately, some people can use it to make Christianity look very transactional. But we know that isn’t the case for…
I live with someone who is a self-proclaimed list maker. Maybe you know someone like this. The moment that I or someone has to travel or do something that might require a list – the pen and the notebook paper come flying out. The reason for the list is simple, it gives us security to…
For the next few Sundays, we are going to visit some of Jesus’ miracles as they are recorded in the Gospel according to Matthew. The question that we can often have when it comes to Jesus’ miracles is “great, that’s kind of neat that He did that, but what does that mean for me?” One…
This coming week, I (Pastor Jay) will be at the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod National Convention. This is a gathering of representatives from the near 6,000 congregations within our church body, representing about 1.75 million members. Each Circuit (a unit of approximately 7 nearby churches) elects one lay person (non-churchworker) and one pastor, each from…
Martin Luther is credited as saying that besides theology, music is the greatest artful expression of mankind. I happen to agree, however, I have a confession – most of the time my thoughts are elsewhere during the hymns that we sing together. I think this comes from being told at an early age that I…
If you live in Tallahassee, you have had a little while of witnessing the destruction caused to vegetation by the 20 degree temperatures that visited around Christmastime. Walking around campus last week, you could see the grounds crews working to take out dead plants. In my own backyard, we’re hoping that the frost-bitten citrus leaves…
I remember meeting someone once for the first time who cut the tension of the first time meeting with a question: “So, Jay, what do you like to talk about?” The question put me on my heels and made me think, but I also marveled at how brave and kind the question was. Of course…
You probably know the song: “Jesus loves me this I know….” “…for the Bible tells me so.” Those lines aren’t just sentimental, they are a great theological statement. In the world of theology, there are two identifying statements for Christian denominations. They are called the “Material Principle” and the “Formal Principle”. The “Material Principle” is…
This past Tuesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved a long dispute over the definite article – that is, the word “The”. “The” Ohio State University just this past Tuesday won its appeal to an earlier decision that did not allow them to trademark “The” in the name of the university. To those Buckeyes…
Thank you for joining us for our online Ash Wednesday service. You may download the bulletin by clicking the link below: Ash Wednesday 2022