St. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:8 "We are perplexed but not driven to despair ... " What a wonderful theological thought that is! Paul, in his work as Christ's ambassador,suffered every kind of opposition and abuse that his many enemies could hand out. He gives a detailed list in 2 Corinthians 11:23 - 12:10. And in chapter one he writes, "For we don't want you to be u...

Beloved in Christ it is impossible to deal with, and do justice to, the rich array of lessons given the church each Sunday. Each Lord's (Christ's) Day we have a rich fare set before us, the equivalent of several Thanksgiving meals at once: more than we could ever eat. But that is how generous our heavenly Father is! And while no one wants to get fat these days, there is no...

Thoughtful Words to Ponder by 20th century Lutheran Pastor and Martyr Rev. Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It is not we who build. [Christ] builds the church. No man builds the church but Christ alone. Whoever is minded to build the church is surely well on the way to destroying it; for he will build a temple to idols without wishing or knowing it. We must confesshe builds. We must...