In his book The Calling: Living a Life of Significance, Kurt Senske says that God shapes our calling through our daily routines, and in the process “transforms ordinary life into extraordinary existence. He adds that while Christians face the same pressures as non-Christians, our success is measured by “whom we are: redeemed people of God, […]
A Better Way to Think (Revell, 2011) How many thoughts do you have each day? Depending on how active your mind is, you may have more than 45,000! In large part, those thoughts shape you. When your first response is emotional, that emotion is designed to alert and focus you rather than direct your actions. […]
Coming soon to an Annotated Bibliography near you (much more dramatic than saying “over the next several months”): (1) The Calling: Living a Life of Significance by Kurt Senske; (2) The Peace God Promises by Ann Spangler: (3) If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat by John […]
In his book A Better Way to Think, H. Norman Wright asserts: “Many people use their thoughts to guide them, to give them direction. We need something more than this because we really don’t always have a good sense of direction within us. . . .We need God’s Word.” Jeremiah 10: 23 reminds us: I […]
In his book Living above the Level of Mediocrity, author Chuck Swindoll states: “Vision is the ability to see God’s presence, to perceive God’s power, to focus on God’s plan, in spite of the obstacles. . . . I sometimes think of vision as looking at life through the lens of God’s eyes, seeing situations […]
From the moment I started attending Timothy Lutheran School in Chicago as a 4th grader, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. Actually, truth be told, I first wanted to be a pastor until I figured out there was more to that calling than writing and preaching sermons. Teaching was the […]
In her book When Am I Going to Be Happy? author Penelope Russvanoff points out that “while negative emotions stick to us like tar, our positive, healthy, happy feelings are often fleeting and fragile. Good moods are shattered by the mildest reversals and instantly replaced by bad moods.” Commenting on this quote in his book […]
Do you find yourself having unexpected and inexplicable hostile responses to certain people or situations? In his book A Better Way to Think, author H. Norman Wright says that some people refer to this phenomenon as “emotional ghosts”. These ghosts cause us to hear remembered toxic statements over and over again. The author continues, “When […]
(Zondervan, 2008) John Ortberg introduces Know Doubt (previously titled Faith and Doubt) by emphasizing that “when we take seriously the reality of faith and doubt, the most important word in the phrase is the one in the middle. While faith and doubt often are considered mutually exclusive terms, philosopher Michael Novak suggests that doubt is […]
We often associate the New Year with a fresh start, carrying the hope that things will be prosperous or improved in the coming year. What are you hoping for this year- winning the lottery, finding that special someone, better health, a return to church work? In 1 Samuel 4 and 5, Israel goes into battle […]
In Hamlet Shakespeare writes: “When sorrows come- they come not single spies- but in battalions.” He might well have added “especially at Christmas”! Christmas intensifies the impact of our adversities, much like a magnifying glass igniting a leaf by concentrating the sun’s rays on a vulnerable spot. Bombarded by messages of ‘peace’ and ‘joy’, there […]
The attached document was prepared by the School Ministry Team specifically to enable congregations in the LC-MS handle potention or actual reduction in force situations on their staffs. However, it also is extremely useful for church workers facing the loss of their positions to understand the recommended procedures that are consistent with Synodical doctrine and practice. […]