Blog Posts

The idea of prayer is mainstream—from movie references to gift shop baubles, the word pray can be found everywhere. As Christians, we know that the Bible tells us that we are to “pray...

Pentecost hymns have been passed down for generations. Many of them have intricate and interesting histories to them, including that of “Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord” found in Lutheran...

There’s a joke in my family that my older sister was baptized in the kitchen sink by my maternal grandmother. I have no idea whether the tale is tall or true, but I can imagine it might...

Dr. John A. Behnke is a frequent handbell clinician, festival director, and organ recitalist. He enjoys composing and arranging, and he has 450+ handbell, choral, and organ compositions in...

For some of us, church is a word that stirs painful memories, which keep us away from the pews on Sunday morning. Others of us go to church each week and shake our heads sadly at the sight...

The Lord’s Prayer is the next portion of Luther’s Small Catechism we will be thinking through for ideas on how to teach Law and Gospel.

This is the 11th edition in the popular Mosaics series by Jacob B. Weber. Pentecost Mosaicscontains versatile and festive settings useful for Pentecost and beyond. Highlights include a...

Once, my pastor asked me if I liked his reference to Shakespeare in his sermon. I should have been able to laugh with him and comment that I appreciated the way it connected to the Gospel...

A few months back, I wrote a post about how you can support your pastor’s wife. In it, I mentioned that because the role of the pastor’s wife comes with so many challenging aspects, there...

Having just passed my fiftieth birthday, I am well into adulthood. I noticed several years ago that I not only look but also behave like my father. My hands are an excellent example. The...

Prayer. This gift from God is a beautiful and blissful reminder that He wants to have a conversation with you about everything in your life: the good, the bad, and the ugly. On the...

Pssssst. C’mere. Closer. I’m gonna let you in on a not-so-secret secret. Five, actually: five things missionaries wish you knew.

How are your summer Sunday School plans coming along? If you’re anything like me, it’s possible that you may not be quite as prepared as you’d like to be. Between Easter events,...

I walk into the sanctuary with my newborn daughter strapped into a baby carrier and a diaper bag on my back. I’m only a few minutes early to service, but it’s a relatively empty space....

In the 1970s and ’80s, I went to public schools from kindergarten through my first year of college. . . . It wasn’t a Christian environment by any means, but it was a decent education....