“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Serving as a missionary pastor in Germany, I regularly experience the church as kind of fortress, where refugees hope … Continue reading Cosmic Powers Over this Present Darkness
“If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task” (1 Timothy 3:1). A few weeks ago, we noted that a growing number of young persons in the West are discovering historic Christianity for its beauty and faithful propagation of the Word-centered around Jesus Christ. This has been a phenomenon in the … Continue reading New Lutheran Pastors in Rome
For all pastors, the Lenten and Easter seasons are quite busy. For me as a missionary pastor, it is no different. However, one additional—and very joyful—task of mine in recent months was to prepare over a dozen Persians for Holy Baptism. In fact, we have had so many people signing up for baptismal classes recently … Continue reading Dear Friends,
Lula, our daughter Mimi, and I are now back in Hamburg after driving from Michigan (where Mimi graduated from Hope College in Holland), to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where we managed to clear out our house in only one week. Thank you, Lord! Traveling through the central U.S. on our vacation, what struck me particularly, though, was … Continue reading Everything for the Glory of God
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit…?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Lula and I and several of our adult kids are currently on vacation in our old home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We have only one week to clear out our house, which we wish to rent out. A tall order … Continue reading But Jesus Drew Me Out of the Pit
Just over eighty years ago, American troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp of Flossenbürg in northern Bavaria. Over the years of its existence, this camp held more than 100,000 people under horrific conditions. Many of its prisoners were literally worked to death, forced to provide slave labor for Germany’s war machine. But many inmates were … Continue reading We Must Obey God Rather than Men
“Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession” (Psalm 2:8). If you had told Martin Luther that one day the Gospel would echo through his homeland—not in Latin or even German, but in Persian and Dari—would he have believed you? And yet, here we … Continue reading CALL TO ACTION
“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” (Ephesians 4:12). What was Mary Poppins’ main task? To teach emotionally distant parents how to love their children. And once she succeeded in a particular place, … Continue reading Mary Poppins on the Mission Field
“And He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha” (John 19:17). A few years ago, Lula and I led a group of LCMS travelers on a wonderful trip though Israel and Jordan. Our hotel was located about a mile away from … Continue reading The Place of a Skull
“Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God…” (1 Kings 2:2-3), said old King David to his son Solomon, as he was about to pass the torch to the young man soon to become Israel’s greatest king. You have often heard about the slow decline of Christianity … Continue reading Muscular Christianity
The Tiews in Germany 