In about two months Donald Trump will ascend to Capitol Hill and there he will be sworn in as the president of the United States of America.  Trump aside, this is what happens every four years: a man ascends the Hill only to descend from it the most powerful man in the free world, or so … Continue reading Here Is Our King: Christ The King Reflection →

This past Sunday I preached on the Lukan Beatitudes.  As usual with Luke I was left quite touched, convicted and comforted.  Blessedness in the Kingdom of God is much different than the blessedness of the world.  See here: Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor,     for yours is the kingdom … Continue reading Blessed In An Age of Quarrel →

I distinctly remember being disappointed when the New York Yankees acquired Alex Rodriguez in the 2003 offseason.  I was pretty much alone in that opinion.  I can recall all the fellow Yankee fans that I knew at the time celebrating and looking forward to the 2004 season.  In 2003 the Yankees had made it to … Continue reading The Gospel According To Theo Epstein →

Author's Note: The use of "The Jews" here does not mean all Jews but instead those who oppose Jesus and his life giving ways in the Gospel of John.  If you're anything like me you may find the readings for Reformation Sunday to be rather boring simply because they are the same every year.  Jeremiah … Continue reading The Truth That Sets Free →

There's always the temptation to look to another human being for salvation.  What's more, there's always the temptation to look to one human being for all the answers and for all the solutions to the problems before us.  In many ways, the presidency of the United States has come to signify and represent such aspirations.  The … Continue reading An-archic Faith In A King Saul World →

I'm a huge fan of the HBO show The Wire.  The themes, the plots and the character development are great.  For those who don't know, The Wire was filmed over five seasons covering themes such as inner city drug culture, the war on drugs, policing, post-industrial union struggles, political culture, education and, of course, the corruption … Continue reading The Wire As A Window To Understanding Jesus →

"When did you get your ears pierced?" "When did you start on your path to becoming a pastor?"  "What's your favorite kind of music?" These were just a few of the questions I was asked by our 7th graders after I was done teaching my lesson on the Third Commandment.  We had 12 minutes left … Continue reading Willing to Let Go and Be Vulnerable: Insights on Youth →

These last few weeks I've been journeying with the Lukan Jesus to the deep recesses of my soul, mind and body.  He's made me happy, joyful, relieved, uncomfortable and even frustrated.  This journey has been mostly due to sermon research and preparation but also to my being a gospel junkie.  I'm pretty obsessed with learning whatever … Continue reading Walking Away From The White House →

No, this is not the typical anti-youth gathering blog post that we've become accustomed to throughout these past few years.  Nor is it a call for those who put together the LCMS National Youth Gathering to do something better, like say, have more cutting edge speakers.  No, not at all.  Rather this post is relevant to … Continue reading 22,000: The Problem Revealed By The LCMS National Youth Gathering →