By Paul Koch - It was Sunday afternoon a few years ago, and my kids were hurrying to tie their shoes and comb their hair. We loaded into the van to make it to the movie on time. Like most kids, they love the movies, even the small budget theater we go to for an … Continue reading Searching for a Superhero
By Karl Strenge - The language we used in the proper preface for the Ascension reminded us that Jesus “was taken up into heaven that He might make us partakers of His divine life.” We partake of his divine life. That is to say we have been joined in a mystical union to the life … Continue reading Partakers of the Divine
By Joel A. Hess - Surely since Plato’s republic—no, further back—since the builders of the tower of Babel, humankind has pursued the building of a perfect place, a perfect order, a perfect city, a utopia. Now, of course, it seems only natural from a young age to seek out a good existence. I recently cleaned … Continue reading Tired of making the world better?
By Cindy Koch - It doesn’t seem to matter enough to the young, the privileged, the hopeful. Society as a whole doesn’t make a big deal out of it much anymore. Grade school instills a healthy childhood annoyance for such conversations. Paramount Pictures and Netflix portrays the world that we are creating for ourselves. Athletic … Continue reading Irrelevant Jesus
By Paul Koch - Of all the questions one can ask, and there are a lot of important questions that you can and do ask, the most Lutheran of them must be the question, “What does this mean?” If you grew up in a Lutheran church, no doubt you studied Luther’s Small Catechism, went to … Continue reading What Does This Mean?
By Tim Winterstein - Honestly, I can't believe we'd never thought of it before. My brother, Jay, and I talk a lot about movies. He's the one who went to film school. He's the one who introduced me to the Newport Beach Film Festival. He's the one who tells me which classic movies I've missed … Continue reading Talking Movies With My Brother
By Joel A. Hess - Since seminary, I have been told by seasoned pastors and “expert” first timers that pastoring is a tough, thankless job. They encouraged me to set boundaries so I don’t get lost in the work and forget about myself and my family. They scared me stiff, perhaps hoping I would not be … Continue reading Dear Pastors: Stop Whining
