“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps 119:105). For some of us, late August and early September herald “Back to School” activities. While our ministry to Iranian immigrants continues, for the past few weeks I have been busy preparing the two online courses I will teach this … Continue reading Dear friends,
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). Last Sunday, Rev. Christian Rehr of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church (SELK), Stelle—a small town near Hamburg—invited me as their guest preacher and speaker on Mission Sunday. Afterwards I got to meet church member Rainer Rudloff, who runs a unique … Continue reading A Bike Pointing to Jesus
“I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile” (Jer 29:14). After church at … Continue reading Exile!
“Therefore, …let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and…run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:1-2). Lula and I recently attended … Continue reading Overcoming Life’s Sorrows
“For this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:32). Recently, hundreds of masked police—their service weapons drawn and machine guns at the ready—raided Hamburg’s so-called “Blue Mosque.” The authorities had determined that this Shiite mosque was doubling as an outpost of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and … Continue reading Forgiving the Younger Brother
“I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and His might, and the wonders that … Continue reading Greetings from Wittenberg
Jesus Christ promises His disciples and, by extension, all Christians: “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). *** I recently visited with an Iranian mother and her teenage daughter—both Lutheran parishioners here in Hamburg. The mother praised the girl’s amazing progress in school and remarked how well she has adjusted. I was impressed how proficient … Continue reading Caliphate – in Germany?!
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55, KJV). Last week here in north Germany, I was invited to lunch at the home of a local Lutheran (SELK) pastor and his wife. We exchanged stories of our ministries. Somehow, we arrived at the topic of funerals and how … Continue reading O death, where is thy sting?
„Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’” (Mark 10:46-47). Last Sunday was mission Sunday at Zion and Trinity, the two SELK churches in Hamburg, … Continue reading South African Beggars
[Content warning] “…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). Back in Hamburg, I recently met with an Iranian parishioner who is preparing for her asylum court hearing. Our Iranian congregants—like all asylum seekers in Germany—have to defend their Christian faith before a judge. As always, there is tension in … Continue reading The Shedding of Blood
The Tiews in Germany 