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This September, we are examining God’s Playbook. We’re looking at the various choices and decisions that God has made preserved in the Bible. Plays God has run, that we would be wise to expect he might run again. If you open your Bibles to the very first page of the New Testament, what you’ll find is a list of names. Matthew chapter 1 begins with the genealogy of Jesus, the Messiah. In that list you’ll find some absolute studs. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Hezekiah, and Josiah, to name a few of the absolute rock stars of God-followers you’ll...
As a Christian faith writer, I am blessed with God providing me with spiritual insights and considerations to relay to others. He creates opportunities for me to share, however, what I do is not anything more special than how millions of other Christians are serving Him, and I humbly acknowledge that most are more talented and effective than myself. I’m just a small piece of a large puzzle, one voice among many who is pointing toward the one who has all authority, who created everything, and k...
We will never rise above or go beyond what we believe and what we speak. It’s a spiritual revelation to comprehend that words have power and where there is privilege there is also responsibility. I realize that we have much to pray about, but this request is crucial if we are to live a holy life of integrity and respect. “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips,” Psalm 141:3. Since what we say is what we think, it would be wise to monitor what we listen to and w...
This September, we are going to be examining a few of God’s plays in his playbook. When a football coach goes into a game, he enters with a playbook. As I understand it, a playbook is a collection of the plays that he can call during the game. These plays are in his book either because he likes them, or because his team is particularly good at them, or he likes to keep some surprises up his sleeve. Whatever the reason, whether he coaches 10 years or 40 years, those are the plays fans will likely see over and over. Similarly, God has p...
Greetings dear friends in Christ. I think that for many, if not most, August is not a month where we look both backward and forward. January 1, New Year's Day would seem more appropriate for that kind of thing. With the beginning of a new year, we think of resolutions to make and eventually break. After all, nobody actually keeps a New Year's resolution. Maybe, as individuals we might use a birthday or anniversary as a time of reflection. But August? The end of August? Why would we choose now for that type of thinking? I'm thinking it is a grea...
God has been stirring me for the last several years to realize there are many levels in our relationship with Him and that we are to be continually progressing through the stations of the tabernacle on our way to the holy of holies. He desires to give everyone a personal revelation to become more spiritually sensitive, to hear His voice, along with His wisdom to know what is right and wrong. To develop an awareness of His presence, we must invest our time meditating on His word, praying, and int...
Do not fear. Fear Not. Do not be afraid. All these commands are found in the bible. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, a young Jewish virgin girl, and announced that she was to become the mother of our Savior. He tells her to not be afraid. It is certainly understandable that when all of a sudden, an archangel from God appears and starts talking to us, who wouldn’t be afraid? Joseph is visited by an angel in a dream and is told that he is not to be afraid to continue his betrothal to Mary even though she is with child. She had not been u...
The path to victory was never promised to be an easy one. It’s filled with faith blended with hard work, persistence, and a passion to follow God’s directions. What type of victory are you referring to? The only success and accomplishment that has eternal value is when we follow and accomplish God’s will. So, what is this? Well, there is His general will which includes His written word that is given to help us learn how to live for Him. There is also His specific will where God has desig...
Follow is an appropriate word for today. For most of the summer it has been an appropriate word for those who have to drive on Highway 281 between Sheyenne and New Rockford. I would imagine that like me, it is getting very tiresome for all of us sitting in our vehicles waiting for that pilot car with the sign on the back that says “Follow Me.” I recall times when I had friends or family visiting when I was living in Minneapolis or Denver and we would be going out to eat or to a ball game or whatever. There were too many of us to go in one car...
August is here. Where did the summer go? It seems like we just celebrated the fourth with picnics and parades and related festivities. Family and school reunions have come and gone with only memories remaining. August is one of the several transition months we have here in North Dakota. Of course, many of the northern tier states and several others in the upper Great Plains experience the changes of the four very different seasons. We start out August with hot and sometimes humid weather. We will end the month thinking about the first frost...
Before becoming a pastor in 2020, I worked as a Children, Youth, and Family Minister for a couple of decades. One of the things I loved best about ministry with kids and youth was the amazing questions they asked. One of the most frequent questions, especially with older youth, was, “Do you have to go to church to be a Christian?” My immediate response was always, “Great question!” which was immediately followed by the inner thought, “Why are you asking?” Are you wondering about the requirements of God’s love for us? Are you worried about the s...
Growing up in the church, I learned very early on that our loving God is both one and three. There is one God and God is three: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each is God separately, and all are God together. In Sunday school, my teachers read this wonderful book called "3 in 1" to me. Perhaps you too remember this book. It had a bright green cover and on the front was a drawing of an apple with a bite out of it. The book taught how in an apple, there are three parts – t...
Once there was a young eaglet that accidentally fell from the safety of his nest high on the mountain. Miraculously, he fell in a patch of soft grass and survived. He stumbled out into the open and a farmer saw him and brought him to the farm and placed him inside a chicken coop with all the other chickens. Since the eagle had not yet discovered his true identity, he started watching the other birds and naturally followed their habits and started doing what they did. So many people have been wro...
Psalm 23 is one of the most popular chapters in the Bible and many have said it is one of the wonders of the literary world. It is so deep that scholars are perplexed and yet so simple that children can enjoy it. However, in all of its beauty and profound wisdom, we should pray that we do not lose our reverence for its interpretation. It is easy to allow familiarity to make us cold and indifferent to chapters such as this and others like John 3, Romans 8, and First Corinthians 13. Being...
At a recent gathering of Christian parents, we were discussing how hard it is to be a parent these days. It seems we are busier than ever, and rarely have time to stop and reflect on this most important job called parenting. We were discussing how it is they learn and become. One dad remarked, “As my boys grow, I am realizing that whether or not I acknowledge it, I am teaching them all the time. Some of it is good, and some not so good!” Every parent in the room nodded their head in agreement. His point was a really good one, a cautionary and...
The blinking line… | there it is… blink blink | | and here I sit… in front of my screen…trying to think of something to write for this sermonette article… and the blink blinks each time I stop typing…seemingly taunting me… I don’t you have anything to day? My answer to the voice in my head? NO! Apparently not! Summer writer’s block is a curse! Maybe I am over thinking this. Maybe the words don’t need to be profoundly new or revolutionary. And just like a flash, something occurs to me… perhaps the blinking line is not a curse, but rather an...
Where is God? Surveys consistently show that while not everyone believes in God as portrayed in religion, the vast majority of people believe there is a divine being. So, since most of us agree that there is a supreme power, where is it? On a mountain? In the ocean? Within ourselves? Where can the supreme being be sought for requests, worship, knowledge or justice? I’m never sure who reads these things, but if you’re not a church goer, but you believe in a supreme power, where do you seek it? I’ll wait… Having been raised in the church,...
A heavy metal band I commonly listen to, Skillet, recently released a song called “Hero.” In the song they describe, with no shortage of energy, how we need a hero. From the Skillet’s perspective, there is so much wrong with the world, life, and inside all of us that there is no way to make it through without an intervention by a hero. They feel a necessity for someone to fight for the weak, someone to fight for what’s right, and for someone to fight for humanity after death. Skillet isn’t crazy. I see this desire for a hero everywher...
“Our mind is a garden our thoughts are seeds, we can plant flowers or we can plant weeds.” This old saying means we choose what we think about and are responsible for the thoughts we allow to grow. We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails. We decide each moment what we will say, how we act, and who we will serve. God is waiting for us to become the person Jesus died for us to be. Courage does not always roar. Sometimes faith is the quiet voice at the end of the day that says, “I...
Adino killed 800 men in one battle. Eleazar slayed Philistine warriors alone until his arm was exhausted from destroying his enemies. Shammah, despite being fully surrounded, held the high ground alone and won the victory. These three also tore through Philistine battle lines, and then slashed their way back through… merely to fetch David a drink of Bethlehem water (David did not command or order them to do this.) Then there was Abishai who struck down 300 Philistine warriors alone, as well as Benaiah-who killed two prominent Moabites, an i...
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization gives the Supreme Court an opportunity to undo Roe v. Wade. If Roe is overturned and North Dakota decides to protect the lives of preborn children, then more care for mothers and their children must accompany this decision. The Catholic Church is redoubling efforts to accompany women and couples who are facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies, offering them loving and compassionate care. Through the years, the Catholic Church in the United States has developed many ministries to serve expectant m...
Many years ago, I heard a story about a young girl who was suffering from a rare and deadly disease. Her health declined rapidly. However, through a number of tests and some luck, they discovered that her 7-year old little brother had somehow developed the antibodies needed to combat her illness. A simple blood transfusion would save her life. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked him if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. He hesitated slightly, but a moment later, he took a deep breath and said,...
On Sunday, May 15, nine students were confirmed in their faith at First Lutheran Church in New Rockford by Pastor Amy Kippen. Congratulations to all!...
Awhile back, I heard an explanation of the old adage, “Still waters run deep.” Deep waters remain rather consistent and calm because of their great depth. Meanwhile, the surface is always changing, depending on the wind and the season. The surface can be very smooth and calm at one moment, and rough and choppy the next. At the same time, in the deep waters, things remain relatively peaceful and unaffected by the ever-changing surface. This is applicable for deep lakes and oceans; it is also analogous to the spiritual life. The deeper our fri...
Jesus says that those who are forgiven much will love much but “those who are forgiven little will love little” (cf. Luke 7:47). Does this mean that we have to be forgiven for great and many sins before we can have great love for God? In other words, do those who did not commit many sins love God less than those who have been forgiven for their many sins? One of my favorite saints, Therese of Lisieux, never committed a serious sin in her whole life. She gives clarity to this question by telling two stories. In the first story, a doctor’s child...