“The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised” (Mt 27:52). Towards the end of his career, Renaissance master Michelangelo hired apprentices to chisel the rough shapes of the sculptures “entombed” inside the marble strains of mountains. Once the apprentices had completed that backbreaking work, Michelangelo would … Continue reading The Tombs also Were Opened
… of our ministry to Germany and across Eurasia! I think dear ol’ Martin Luther would be absolutely stunned to see that roughly half a millennium after his rediscovery of the Gospel, Christian converts from Muslim lands would be proudly posing at the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, where Luther posted his 95 … Continue reading Dear Friends and Supporters…
“And all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). I am fascinated by the history of the Jewish people. Living only twenty miles away from a former Nazi concentration camp (Neuengamme) on the outskirts of Hamburg, I am so grateful that the United Nations in 1947 allowed the creation of the state of Israel, which was … Continue reading All Israel will Be Saved
“And immediately [Saul] proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ And all who heard him were amazed and said, ‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before … Continue reading 9/11 and Hamburg
“He sent redemption to his people; He has commanded His covenant forever. Holy and awesome is His name!” (Psalm 111:9). My dear friend Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto, who entered the Church Triumphant last week, was a kind of real-life Forrest Gump. A savvy correspondent for United Press International and several German media outlets for many decades, … Continue reading Good-Bye to a Great Lutheran
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal…” (Ecclesiastes 3:2-3). There is a different vibe in Germany … Continue reading The End of the“Peace Dividend”?
For some of us, it’s back to school. Well, maybe not for us personally, but perhaps for our kid or grandkids…But in my case, I get to go back to school as a theological instructor of the “English stream” of Riga Luther Academy, Latvia—the online seminary supported by the LCMS. Enrollment this fall is at an all-time … Continue reading Dear friends and supporters of our ministry to Germany and across Eurasia!
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). I recently heard about a church here in Germany that was deliberating whether to set up a table with flyers and Gospel tracts in a downtown shopping district. In the country once known as the Land of … Continue reading Blessed are Those Who are Persecuted
“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). I recently told you about the lady in Afghanistan to whom I minister daily. I invite her to read one chapter of the New … Continue reading Message in a Bottle
“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock…” (Acts 20:28). One of the most caring pastors I know is my Finnish missionary colleague, Rev. Pasi Palmu (pictured), with whom I am privileged to do Persian ministry in Germany. We recently had a very difficult pastoral care situation in which Pasi exemplified the pastors … Continue reading Pay Careful Attention to Yourselves and to all the Flock
