By Cindy Koch –
I did something terrible this morning. I guess it happens all the time, but I am still ashamed even as I type these words. Like you, I am one who is shocked at the dreadful state of our world today, but then I go participate in their deadly games. A gentleman ran up to me today and offered to carry a heavy bag to my car, that was only a few feet away. Without thinking twice, I shot him down.
By Joel Hess –
I love Jesus but…
Only a Butt says I love Jesus but… These days we often hear people say, “I love Jesus but…I don’t love his words. I don’t like it when he tells me I commit adultery in my heart. I don’t like it when he says, ‘no one comes to the Father except through me’. He must not have said that because I don’t like it. I love Jesus but…”
By Bob Hiller –
Last week, I took my kids to see Pete’s Dragon. I remember loving that movie as a kid. I was excited to share this one with my kids, especially with all the fancy, new digital capabilities. But I have to tell you, there was something about the movie that rubbed me the wrong way.
By Ross Engel –
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.
Hebrews 11:17-19
By Paul Koch –
It’s not that I enjoy spending the afternoon on my day off fixing things around the house. I would certainly love to be able to sit in the back yard, smoke my pipe, and sip on a bourbon without trying to fix something. But there is a certain reward that comes from fixing things. There is a sense of accomplishment, of doing something outside of my own head that has a lasting result. There is continuation of my children’s fantasy that dad can fix anything. And of course, there is always the appreciation of my bride, which never ceases to inspire.
By Cindy Koch –
We are often attacked for our dedication to our children. There is a world beyond our friendship that belittles our lifelong joy of being a mother. But we have been bound together by the great blessing of bearing children. And it’s only you I can turn to now.
By Cindy Koch –
I am unexpectedly forced into a darkness. Looking around, I see only black. Exposed in the invisible room, I shrink at the cold echo of my own hollow footsteps. The aroma of a musty, dirty, forgotten box suffocates my quickened breath.
By Ross Engel –
In the Mel Gibson film The Patriot, there is a scene that I have always appreciated. The Colonial Militia solicits the men of a congregation to take up arms to fight against the British. Many men are motivated by the speech, grab their gear, and head off to fight. As this particular scene comes to a close, someone notices that the pastor is heading off with the Militia, musket in hand. When the question of his departure is raised, the pastor’s response is simple and direct, “A shepherd must tend his flock, and at times, fight off the wolves.”
By Paul Koch –
Last Tuesday, I took my usual seat at the bar in the cantina where my brothers and I gather every week for the delights of Taco Tuesday. Aside from the tall cocktails and the $1 tacos, there are plenty of TVs surrounding the place so that no matter where you look you can find a convenient screen. Now, we have watched many baseballs games on those screens, lots of SportsCenter, the terrible game of soccer, and most recently the Olympic Games. But on this last Taco Tuesday, we watched Iowa defeat Rhode Island in the Little League World Series.
By Cindy Koch –
Many good advice-givers tell me that marriage is hard work. I even want to believe them in these times of kids, activities, commitments, meetings, bills, stress, and the endless search for rest. My husband of 18 years, now, is a familiar face in the blur of everyday routine. And sometimes, I find myself missing the friend I knew in my youth.
By Paul Koch –
A few months back my friend Joel mentioned how he loved pictures of soldiers receiving Holy Communion in the midst of war. Since his speaking of it, I have found myself more than once scanning for such images on the internet. They’re fascinating to me, especially those ones from World War 2. These are haunting and powerful black and white images of soldiers kneeling shoulder to shoulder receiving the body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of all their sins.
By Ross Engel –
Today, I’m on vacation. Technically, it’s the third day of my vacation, but who’s counting? One of the cardinal rules of a vacation is that you take your watch off and slow down the frantic pace of life. Instead of using the smartphone for emails and work, the phone is switched to airplane mode to become a camera and only a camera! It is glorious to be able to do that! I will admit that I do check my emails in the morning and the evening just to make sure I don’t miss anything major. It is really important to take time off from work. It keeps a person refreshed, and it’s extremely important to enjoy time with family without the constant fervor of work. I typically come back from some time away with my family with a less distracted work ethic and a more cheerful demeanor.
By Ross Engel –
The property upon which my congregation is situated has become a Poke-stop and Poke-gym. And while I’ve finally downloaded the PokemonGo app, I still have no clue what I’m doing. What I do know is that we have a constant flow of traffic in and out of our parking lot. My secretary, who was blissfully unaware of this new game, was concerned that people might be “casing” the church, looking for a chance to rob us. She was relieved as I explained Pokemon to her.
By Cindy Koch –
Screaming, scolding, sobbing, shushing… Sunday morning church can be an emotional event for both parent and child. Just last Sunday I held a tired darling little baby girl in the Cry Room, sobbing through the scheduled silence of church. I was transported back to a few years earlier rocking my very own bawling baby, hearing only his angry cry (and not the prayers).
By Paul Koch –
Most of my colleagues agree that one of the least favorite things to do as a pastor is a wedding ceremony. Many times (usually over a few beers at a conference) I have heard the refrain, “I would happily do a funeral rather than a wedding, any day.” The reasons are sound; at a wedding you’re dealing with a whole lot of unknown factors and outside influences. You have bridesmaids and groomsmen who are usually unassociated with your fellowship. Photographers have no idea about the meaning of sacred space. Not to mention, the sometimes erratic mother of the bride will be there. You find that childhood wish-dreams and romantic ideals have as much bearing on things as church tradition and practice.
By Jaime Nava –
According to this 2011 report, 0.2 to 0.3 percent of Americans consider themselves transgender. As percentages go, that’s not a big number. Our country loves to lift up the strong minority for the sake of some cause or another. Since gay marriage has passed, folks are now clamoring to support a new and shiny minority. I’m not saying that transgender people don’t face their issues. These are people who feel what is tangible isn’t really real. Anorexics feel the same way, too. They have their struggles and need support as anyone who feels that their body isn’t their reality. Interestingly, many feminists are finding issues with the transgender movement, as well.
By Ross Engel –
With Father’s Day looming on the horizon, I thought it would be fitting to consider the important task of training up one’s children. Proverbs 22:6 is often quoted when it comes to the raising and rearing of children. “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
By Scott Keith –
Living as the men we have been called to be means that we live as men who love. The Apostle Paul is clear about this in 1 Corinthians when he claims that, no matter what we say, if we speak without love, we are no better than a banging gong:
By Caleb Keith –
Today (that is yesterday, for those reading this), I embarked on an eight-hour road trip from Irvine California to Gardnerville Nevada. I make this journey about three or four times a year for various occasions. I grew up in Carson City, Nevada by Lake Tahoe, and my Grandmother still lives in the area. Trips are made mostly to visit her and my lifelong friend, Carson Iverson. This trip is for the very same reasons, but there is an added twist. My friend from Concordia, Jacob Mueller, joined my wife, daughter, and me on our five-day journey.
By Graham Glover –
Dorothy is right: “There’s no place like home”.
For the past 8 ½ years my family and I have had 6 homes, not including those temporary abodes of mine when deployed.
That’s a lot of homes, especially considering they encompass 5 different cities.
What I find remarkable though is that if you ask my daughter and son where “home” is, they don’t hesitate in their response. Home is Gainesville, Florida – the place where they were born, but only lived respectively for 2 ½ and ½ years of their life.
