I was recently helping an Iranian lady prepare for her asylum court hearing and asked her a question that sometimes comes up: “How often do you pray?” She replied that she prays many times a day—for her family, her personal circumstances, and for the political situation in Iran. But she also shared that she was … Continue reading Paying for Prayers
Every second Sunday of the month, I take the train from Hamburg to Wolfsburg (the home of Volkswagen) to fulfill a dual role: to conduct a Farsi/German Divine Service in the local SELK congregation, which is blessed with numerous Iranian members but who are currently without a pastor able to do Persian ministry. My other … Continue reading Iranian Lutheran Pastors
Last Sunday, I had the privilege of baptizing two Iranian siblings–one eight months old, the other six years old. This was a particularly joyful occasion because, while the father has been a Christian for years, the mother is still Muslim but told me only a few weeks ago that she too wishes to be baptized. … Continue reading Coming Home to Jesus
As we were sitting down to a Bible study recently, when one of my Iranian parishioners declared, “Pastor, could you please pray that all the mullahs in Iran will go to hell?” His wife rolled her eyes at his comment. “Here we go again,” I thought… I have so often explained to this man and … Continue reading Prayers for the Mullahs
We are now in the season of Lent, the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday during which we spiritually walk alongside our Lord journeying to the Cross—fearful for Good Friday yet trusting in the glory of Easter Sunday that would follow on the third day. Many of our Iranian Lutherans here in Germany are … Continue reading Dear friends and supporters,
One of the most common questions people ask pastors is: “Why does God allow evil in the world?” There seem to be only two answers: either God is powerless to stop evil, or He doesn’t care. In last week’s Baptismal preparation class, the catechumens raised this issue, complaining that in the court hearings to determine … Continue reading Doesn’t Jesus Care?
Last week a young Iranian man I know asked me to accompany him to his asylum hearing and provide pastoral counseling. I visited with “Mohammad” and his attorney in the waiting room for a few minutes before we were called up by the state official and interpreter. The atmosphere in the hearing room was quite … Continue reading From Iran to Germany – From Islam to Christianity
Lula and I got back to Hamburg from Dubai last night, having spent over a week there providing pastoral and logistical support for the lady in the local hospital, as reported last week. But there remained one problem; every Monday night from 7:00 to 9:30 PM Latvian time I teach a “Luther Academy” class over … Continue reading Indian Underwear Salesmen and the Augsburg Confession
Dear friends and supporters of our ministry to Germany—and across Eurasia In the Christmas season, our lectionary readings demonstrated our Lord’s human nature—as He manifested Himself as a baby in a manger. Now, in the season of Epiphany, our focus expands: the lectionary readings illustrate how the Lord manifests His divine nature by working a variety of miracles—for instance, … Continue reading It’s 2023 – Expect Miracles!
Last Sunday in Bible class we discussed the Gospel lesson of that morning’s Divine Service—Jesus turning water into wine (John 2:1-11). My Iranian parishioners asked me why the Lord hadn’t prevented that embarrassing crisis from occurring in the first place, with the host running out of wine. I explained that this is the first miracle … Continue reading Mullahs for Christ?
The Tiews in Germany 