Relax

Walls or Windows
I recently read a quote by Bill Tenny-Brittian, “To say the church exists to serve the needs of the churched is like saying McDonalds exists to serve hamburgers to its employees.” I then tweeted that quote and got a few heated replies to it. One reply informed me that the church actually does serve its members. Well, that’s true. But that isn’t the opposite of what the quote is saying. Another reply informed me of the definition of “church” in the Lutheran Confessions, where it says that the church is “where God’s word is taught in its truth and purity and the sacraments are administered according to Christ’s institution.” I can’t argue with

Top Ten Things Church Hoppers Say
I wanted to share this with you because I've heard #10 several times in the three church's I've served as pastor over the last 14 years. I saw this on Will Mancini's blog, who got it from Josh Reich's blog, a young pastor in Tuscon. Below is his post on a book by Bob Franquiz entitled, Zero to Sixty. It has a chapter on Church Hoppers. Here is how to spot a church hopper and what they mean (my favorite is the last one): 1. “But my old church…” This usually means they want your church to be like their old church. 2. “I just need time to be fed.” This means, “I don’t want to do anything. I’m here just to sit and see what I

God Didn’t Make a Mistake
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. – Philippians 1:6 (ESV) The providence of God is something that is overlooked at times. There are times when it feels as though you aren't making progress in your spiritual life. The “one step forwards, two steps back” kind of feeling. But I believe that we who are disciples of Jesus are all where we are according to God’s providence. He intended for us to be here, wherever “here” happens to be. Yes, there are times when we try to force things, set situations up to our benefit. Sometimes God allows

Baptism
As a pastor at Redeemer Lutheran church in Ontario, California, I have the privilege of teaching each week in our school. I teach children about Jesus and what Jesus has done for us – children from ages 4 to 14. One of the greatest joys of teaching children is teaching them (and their families) about Baptism. In the past three years, I’ve been honored to baptize over fifty children. But I was merely the instrument, the “tool” if you will, through which God poured His grace on these children. Baptism is part of the primary mission of the Christian Church. Jesus told us to “go and make disciples (learners), baptizing them….” (Matthew 28:19). But what is baptis

I’m Sorry
What is an apology for? Why do we say “I’m sorry”? What are we really looking for when we insist someone says they are sorry? I apologize a lot. I probably say “I’m sorry” more than any other phrase. This could be because I’m a little insecure and feel apologetic more than is actually necessary. It could also be because I do a lot of things for which I should be sorry about. It surely goes all the way back to the fact that I’m a sinner who needs to repent and be forgiven. One of things I realized a few years ago is that we have a lot of “I’m sorrys” in this world but not a lot of “I forgive yous” to go along with them. The reason we say w