“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the beard…” (Ps 133:1). These are my awesome Persian ministry colleagues in Hamburg, of whom only one has a beard . From L to R: Rev. Marko Turunen, his wife Siiri (a gifted linguist, musician, and … Continue reading Brothers in Unity
“The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16). I recently checked up on an Iranian parishioner whom I had not seen in church for a while. I asked him if he was alright. He replied: “I am not doing well. My spirit is sick or … Continue reading Like a Zombie
When I think of October 31st, the first thing that comes to mind is not Halloween but Reformation Day. October 31, 1531, was the day on which Martin Luther—upset that the medieval Church had turned Christianity into something quite different from how the New Testament describes it—wanted to raise an in-house discussion among his fellow … Continue reading The Balm of the Pure Gospel
“Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil” and “when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away” (Mt 13:5-6; 20-21). *** A while back, Lula and I were on Usedom, a Baltic island off northeastern Germany—part of what was once Pomerania. I … Continue reading The Plow of the Gospel
In last week’s baptismal preparation class, a young Iranian said, “Pastor, I recently watched an exorcism movie. Do demons really exist?” “Actually, they do,” I replied. “In extremely rare cases, they can haunt buildings and even possess people.” The room fell silent. “I’ll tell you what…for next week, please read the Gospel of Mark.” The … Continue reading Do Demons Really Exist?
Last Sunday, “Mohammad” and I were talking about how Riga Luther Academy is looking for men wishing to become pastors. “I *do* want to become a pastor and teach people about Jesus,” he replied. “But I can’t go to seminary…I’m a sinner.” Riga Luther Academy—the online English-language Lutheran seminary where several of LCMS missionary colleagues … Continue reading We Are All Beggars
“And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph 4:11-12). Earlier this week, Rev. Dr. Gottfried Martens from Berlin, the pastor of the largest Persian Lutheran congregation in Europe (over 1,400 Iranians and Afghans), … Continue reading Persians On Church Field Trip to Hamburg
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim 2:13). *** September has been another busy month. The academic year started at Riga Luther Academy. We are blessed with ten new students—living in Germany, Finland, and Turkey (in addition to our sixteen now second and third-year students). Our new students include … Continue reading Dear Friends,
Lula and I are currently on vacation in the US. In preparation for our outbound flight from Hamburg, we scheduled an appointment for screening. This allowed us to enter the security area through a side entrance, bypassing hundreds of travelers who did not have an appointment. All we had to do was swipe our boarding … Continue reading What Must I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?
Last week Lula and I attended the birthday party of one of our grandsons who turned five. Many parents were there as well. I chit-chatted with one dad about business, and he shared that he is self-employed. I told him that long ago I had been in the business world myself, but that after about … Continue reading My Boss is in Heaven
The Tiews in Germany 