Everyday Lutherans

  Is there really a loophole when it comes to tithing?  A person should really begin at the beginning of tithing.  "God created the heavens and the Earth and saw that they were good."Now if you are thinking, "Don't you think you went a little far?"  No because here we are reminded of who gave the gift in the first place.  Who gave you life and everything that is within the world around you.  The things that you enjoy, the food you eat, the clothes you wear, even the job you do, the health and the friends and family you enjoy.  All of these things were given to you from the one who created them. Truly all of these things are there for you to enjoy, cherish, and even love those who are within your life.  Yet one must also realize that these things are all a gift, even the life that you live.  The tithe is something that was put in place to remind people of that very thing.  The tithe was given to the church, the church would then use that ...

How often do you pray?  And when you pray, what do you say?  Talking with people they will pray at meals and before they go to bed.  Often giving thanks for the food and the good day that they were able to enjoy.  This is a good habit to have.  However, talking to people they are also interested in praying for more.  They want to pray for others and for things that they do not know about. Sometimes it can be helpful to pray a prayer from someone else. A prayer that someone else has written to God.  By reading this prayer, by entering into this prayer, you are able to enter into some of their understanding and even get you to think about another person's perspective.  There are many devotional books that can be helpful.  I have been reading the prayers of Martin Luther.  It has given a lot of great insight into some of the teachings and understandings that this great theologian had during his life.  Surprisingly enough, they are some...

This is one of those commandments that is easy to see on a paper (or stone tablet) but it is even harder to actually understand and put it into practice.  For this is the beginning of the commandments' portion that is often considered to be relating to Earthly relationships.  The mother and father are the two people with whom a child first encounters.  It is these two individuals who have been brought together, have created a child and now have the responsibility to care for this child until the child is able to care for itself. During the time that the Ten Commandments were given to the Hebrew people (they were not to the promised land and so were known as the Hebrews.)  the dominant system of order and structure was that of the family.  The eldest male would often control the other people who descended from him or from his siblings.  Along with the servants, slaves and wives of any other.  The elder would be considered to have wisdom from all their e...

Have you ever heard someone say, "I will put on my Sunday best."?  For those of you who do not know, church used to be THE social event every week.  It was the one time when people would get together, they were not working and people would not only hear the Word of God but also they would be placed on judgement for all to see and witness who they were and how they act.  The community would gather together to not only have social gatherings but also to ensure that everyone would be able to clean up their act.  This association is something that has continued for many within the culture.  However, things are changing.  Now the church is not the only place where you are judged and held accountable for what they wear.  I know exactly what you are thinking, this is the same question that people ask every single day.  What should I wear?  It is something that many of us loathe because based on our clothes we are taught that our clothes are like a b...

Comics are one those powerful things that often can convey a thought, idea, a full story and even render a complex situation seem simple.  Yet it is also through just a picture that a person can bring in to a story elements that were never even included but have been brought into the understanding of the reader because of the society in which the story or event is taking place.   Here is an example within the first comic.  There is no real truth to each one of us having a devil or evil figure or an angel or good figure attempting to influence within our lives.  By the way, if you do see these, please let me know.  However, this understanding does draw us into the understanding that within the world, we face choices and decisions that are good and bad. They can help us, harm others, or anything in between the two or combination.  This understanding has since been a part of people's reading because it makes logical sense.  They may even follow into the w...

Within the world there are many religions. A religion "is  a   set   of   beliefs   concerning   the   cause,   nature ,  and   purpose  of   the   universe,   especially   when   considered   as   the   creation  of   a   superhuman   agency   or   agencies,   usually   involving  devotional   and   ritual   observances,   and   often   containing   a  moral   code   governing   the   conduct   of   human   affairs. or  a   specific   fundamental   set   of   beliefs   and   practices   generally  agreed   upon   by   a   number   of   persons   or   sects:   the   Christian  religion;   the   Buddhist   religion.  Each one has it's own understanding a...

The whole concept of church planting was one that I explored while I was in seminary.  I joined in the various conversations and understood many of the necessary things that needed to take place. For often, a new church is started within an area with the help of the synod (the larger church organization that is right above a congregation).  It takes a lot of work and time to build the relationship and organize the various events to invite those who are either never been to the church setting or have been hurt by the church.  Within a church plant, there is often a planting of seed within a given community and hopes that with nurture, the leader would be able to reach out to people and build a sustaining community. . A popular model that has been happening in a number of places as well is that a congregation will actually give birth to another congregation within the same community.  This often comes around when either the facility that current congregation is unable ...

I am often amazed to talk to a number of people who sit in the pew on a Sunday morning for worship and find out that they have never taken the time to read the Bible.  I have heard the excuse, "Well, it is so big, I don't know where to begin?" "I started to read it but after Exodus, it was just too boring." "It is so hard to understand."   I will admit that many of the above statements are indeed correct.  The Bible is large.  In fact, it is a collect of 66 books and not actually one book. The Bible was not meant for you to sit down and read it cover to cover.  The Bible is indeed hard to understand because it was written over the course years.  And not even just a few years but over thousands of years.  It was not written by one author with a coherent story line or plot twists to follow but changes dramatically from one book to the next. The Bible is one of those books that was gathered together not to share with you the history of the human race. (al...

How true this is.  I mean we should be ready to go out into the world and spread the good news of Jesus Christ into the world.  However, one thing that did strike me about this is we are already IN the world.  We are already in the world and have relationships with people so instead of getting ready, how about we actually do.  I realize just being in church does not make a good Christian, I have heard that excuse a number of times.  However, dwelling in the very Word of God is something that nourishes your soul and fills that whole that you have been trying to fill within your heart.  Walking with one another in a community is important, it is for you and for the other person.  And yes even that person who is walking with you in faith, well they are not "ready". For they are a sinner just as much as anyone else is, which is why we need God's grace and mercy. Anyone who thinks that they are "ready" or think that they have generally scares me and I think...

Yes I am that guy who will take this wonderful cartoon and turn it into an article for my blog because I think that both are needed.  This is truly a great cartoon and one that speaks volumes.  (I often enjoy the work from www.reverendfun.com if you have not done so you should definitely check them out.) They are right, there is an app for everything that you could ever want.  Although this is not necessarily what they had in mind.  Technology as a whole is moving so quickly and the church is not really catching up. In fact, I have seen some church that have not changed a thing and actually they are fairing better than some of the congregations that have tried to put together various ministries within the web.  I recently went to a conference and they told us that we should all have webpages for our church.  It should be simple and clean cut and most important of all accurate with current information.  One of the biggest things that I have seen is tha...