I've had an Epiphany!

2 Timothy 4:16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. So tell me – What are you most afraid of? Oh, come on, now—don’t be ashamed to admit it. Everybody has fears. Kids do, too, of course. One of the deepest childhood fears is to be abandoned. It is a fear of being lost in the mall; isolated from friends in the classroom; alone where nobody likes you; afraid of being picked last for the team or sitting at the end of the bench, away from all the really good players. The apostle Paul felt isolated. He was writing to Timothy from prison in Rome . When Paul had first arrived ...

Fear Factor What are you afraid of while at Training Camp this week? You may try to be a tough guy and say, “I’m not afraid of anything!” Others may have the opposite response: “I have so many fears - where do I start?” But let’s be honest. What are some things of which you might be afraid? Getting homesick Not knowing anybody or not making any new friends Getting sick and throwing up Climbing a 50 foot tower Landing hard on the water after Pastor Rockhoff blobs you Getting hit in the head by the biffer when Pastor Burgess is chasing you Making me angry, because, as my daughters will tell you, you won’t like me when I’m angry Going out on the lake with the junior counselors and having your canoe tip over Having Steph make you do push-ups How many of you have seen the TV show Fear Factor? In the show, the contestants have to face their fears of bugs or heights or gross things or ...

Mark 6:7 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. 8 These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff-- no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them." 12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. A few weeks ago, one of our members was telling me how he was in the Friendship Room with his young daughter and he pointed to my picture and asked, “Who is that?” She replied, “That’s Jesus.” Pretty close. No, I’m definitely not Jesus. But as a pastor I represent Him to God’s people, and as a Christian I represent Him to the world. That’s what t...

Mark 6:1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. A few years ago, in my previous congregation in our little storefront church, we had a first-time visitor join us for worship on a communion Sunday. I...

·            Why do we crave the Lord’s Supper? ·            Why do we need Holy Communion? ·            What does the Lord offer us His Marriage Feast of the Lamb? ·            How often does Christ wish us to receive His body and blood for forgiveness, new life and eternal salvation? Please attend this very important Bible study on the Lord’s Supper to have these and other questions answered. Throughout the month of July at 9:15 am in the church basement.

Why do you go to Holy Communion? Is it just because that’s what everybody else does? Do you attend because the pastor or elders will get on your case if you don’t? Do you do go purely out of custom or habit? Unfortunately, those may be some reasons why people do attend the Lord’s Supper. Thankfully, we have a much better reason. Jesus tells us: “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:19-20) In the Lord’s Supper Jesus gives us his body and blood for our forgiveness. Take a moment to reflect on that. We hear it so often; we may take it for granted. We may actually have a casual attitude toward the Lord’s Supper. We may even have a “take it or leave it” attitude. Why would Christians have such a ho-hum attitude toward such a precious gift from Jesus? Is it that we take it too often? Should we limit our celebration of the Lord’s ...

It has been a busy week for WELS Christian Aid and Relief as it responds to several WELS churches dealing with flooding in Florida , wildfires in Colorado , and powerful storms that knocked out power to millions on the East Coast. Mr. Mark Vance, director of operations, will travel to Peace Lutheran Church , Holiday , Fla. , on July 5 to meet with members of the congregation where heavy flooding from Tropical Storm Debby soaked the church building and several members’ homes. “We want them to know their church body is here to support them in repairing the damage,” he says. Vance will also help the church develop a plan to assist the community. Christian Aid and Relief has sent relief funding to the church for needed repairs of the members’ homes and the church facility. A wildfire continues to burn in the Waldo Canyon just west of Colorado Springs . The fire forced the evacuation last week of Rev. James Seiltz and his family as well as other members at Salem Luth...

Mark 5:21 -24a, 35-43 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." 24 So Jesus went with him. … 35 While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?" 36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe." 37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, "Why all this co...