The Shepherd's Scroll // July-August 2019 The Lord speaks. Stuff happens. So goes it since the Beginning. "I will build my Church," Jesus says (Matthew 16:18). Jesus "the Christ, the Son of the Living God," (Matthew 16:16) that man alone does such building. The Church He builds belongs to Him. The Church is His own. … Continue reading “I Will Build My Church”
On Anxiety and Faith: The Short Answer
"Between Marx and marzipan in the dictionary there was Mary Between the Deep Blue Sea and the Devil that was me..." https://youtu.be/g0CUmD8bTC8 "Worker's Playtime" by Billy Bragg was pretty much the sountrack of my life as I courted my beloved Bride-to-be. Before iPads and iPods, back in the late 80's and earliest 1990's I'd walk … Continue reading On Anxiety and Faith: The Short Answer
Words of Life and Healing: The Passage
This next Sunday is "Rally Day" at Immanuel Lutheran Church, the kickoff of our Sunday School season which will run through the rest of the school year. Immanuel hosts a cookout in the Laurel city park after service. Members pull in these huge grills for hamburgers and hotdogs. As the small town newspapers used to … Continue reading Words of Life and Healing: The Passage
The Prison Chapel Porter
I step out of the blinding, scorching summer heat and enter the second set of steel doors into the prison chapel. Takes a minute for my eyes to adjust enough to take in the room. There's a guy by the altar. His back was to me and he didn't look up, but then again the … Continue reading The Prison Chapel Porter
Vacation! All I Ever Want Is…
"And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will … Continue reading Vacation! All I Ever Want Is…
The Tom Sawyer Approach
"Tom Sawyer... skips school to swim and is made to whitewash the fence the next day as punishment. He cleverly persuades his friends to trade him small treasures for the privilege of doing his work. He then trades the treasures for Sunday School tickets which one normally receives for memorizing verses consistently, redeeming them … Continue reading The Tom Sawyer Approach
Spiritual Meals-Ready-to-Eat
Old school Lutheran pastors were taught to prepare their sermons by first translating the texts for themselves. I'm not even 50 yet, and already I find myself among the last living generation of those taught by such old school means. We barely had VCRs when I was in seminary. Blockbuster movie rental (the kind you … Continue reading Spiritual Meals-Ready-to-Eat
Isaiah 50:4 Blues 