Today Hilary of Poitiers, church father, is commemorated

This is Hilary of Poitiers day. He is a church father who was born in the late third century and served in the fourth century. He is renouwned for his defense of the historic Christian faith against the attack of Arianism. You may read more about in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

January Lutheran Witness available

The January Lutheran Witness is available for download as a PDF file. It is about 10 pages shorter than the print version but there are some very good articles this month including:

THE SPLENDOR OF EPIPHANY
by Charles Knippel
This wonderful season still 'epiphanizes' christians to be the light of the world, sharing Christ with people who cry out for the "Light of light.'

THE STEM 'SELL'
by James Lamb
Despite what its proponents say, the fact remains that human cloning for any reason cannot be justified.

PRAYERS FOR BABY TERRI
by Marvin Platten
A determined church staff goes to its knees to save an unborn child.

TWO KINGDOMS VS. 'ONE ME'
by Uwe Siemon-Netto
The Lutheran doctrine of two kingdoms explains how God works in His spiritual kingdom and His earthly kingdom. Unfortunately, man's selfish nature is to trump both with 'me.'

GODPARENTING FOR DUMMIES: A PRACTICAL GUIDE
by Gerry Draper
What does it mean to be a godparent? It means traveling a lifelong faith journey with your godchild.

These are all good articles. If you are a godparent or sponsor, please read GODPARENTING FOR DUMMIES.

A Lutheran Response to the 'Left Behind' Series"

The "Left Behind" people want you to believe that their's is the majority or only opinion regarding the proper understanding of the end times. Here are a couple of documents that correct many of their faulty notions:

"A Lutheran Response to the 'Left Behind' Series."

"A Bible Study Companion to A Lutheran Response to the 'Left Behind' Series"

(These are both pdf files.)

Mission Service Opportunity: Latvia

Mission Service Opportunity: Latvia

I've been asked by a number of people to update my blog more frequently. Ok, I'll try to put things up here that I find interesting. If you are young and energetic or at least energetic, you might be interested in this or some other mission opportunity.

January 9, 2007



LCMS World Mission

Your Link to Mission Action.

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God knows us, what we need and what we long for. He sent his Son: Emmanuel, God with us. Through faith in Jesus' death and resurrection, our relationship with God is restored and we have life. LCMS World Mission's long-term missionary program focuses on relationship ministry. As a long-term missionary, you build relationships with people who need and long for the same thing we all do: true life in Christ.



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From the LCMS World Mission Opportunity Database.



Right now you have the opportunity to meet an urgent need as an Ablaze! Outreach Worker in Latvia.



"Long-term missionaries are needed for service in both Lithuania and Latvia. These individuals will work with existing local congregations of LCMS partner churches to reach out to the community through relationship building and English-as-a-Foreign-Language classes. Most work will be focused on youth and children's ministries. Professional church workers (DCE, DCO, Deaconess, Lay Minister) are especially encouraged to apply."



For more information, go to: www.lcmsworldmission.org/searchopps.

Contact an LCMS World Mission placement counselor at 1-800-433-3954 or mission.recruitment@lcms.org.



_________________________________________________

LCMS WORLD MISSION

1333 South Kirkwood Road

St. Louis, Missouri, 63122-7295, US

Telephone: 1-800-433-3954

E-mail: mission.recruitment@lcms.org

Web site: www.lcmsworldmission.org

Ablaze! Movement: www.lcms.org/ablaze

'Church of the Ark' found on West Bank

Here is an interesting article about a very early church that has been discovered. I think the mosaic is beautiful.

CLICK HERE to see the Mosaic

National Association of Evangelicals Leader Ted Haggard

LeadershipJournal.net - Leader's Insight: When Leaders Implode

So many people have mentioned to me that I haven't updated my blog in a while that I decided I'll get at it again. Here is a good article on Ted Haggard and the his recent scandal.

James Ossuary Update

"The ossuary inscribed "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" has recently been studied by Professor Wolfgang E. Krumbein, a world-renowned authority. He has reached startling conclusions that will change the debate over this highly controversial artifact."

Biblical Archaeology Review

The Da Vinci Code Fizzle

Click here for a list of Da Vinci Code reviews

Click here to read Dr. Paul L. Maier's article "The Da Vinci Code Distortion" from the April 2006 Lutheran Witness.
(This is a pdf file.)

Here's a sample: "...readers who are used to factual backgrounds will assume the same for The Da Vinci Code and will be deceived."

More on the Gospel of Judas

Concordia Seminary held a convocation on April 10 titled
Gospel of Judas: Professors Respond

Click here to download an mp3 of the convocation

Here are a couple of quotes from the web post, click here to read the entire post:

Concordia Seminary professors James Voelz and Jeffrey Kloha provided a response to the gospel of Judas for members of the Seminary community in a convocation on Monday, April 10. Voelz and Kloha serve in the Seminary’s department of exegetical theology and specialize in New Testament studies.


“There is nothing of the historical Jesus, the Jesus that walked the earth, in this document,” commented Kloha. “It is important that we know about this document since people are watching and reading media reports about it and being influenced by them.”

The gospel of Judas was featured in a National Geographic Society television documentary the previous evening and is receiving a great deal of media attention. It is dramatically different from the four gospels that are contained within the New Testament and purports to provide a secret account of a revelation that Jesus spoke with the disciple Judas Iscariot.

“Jesus is never described as ‘the Christ’ in this manuscript,” commented Kloha. “Instead, an individual named Seth is referenced as the Christ.”

In describing the media’s portrayal of the document, Voelz stated, “They are conveniently omitting a lot of information that would put the manuscript in a bad light. It is important for people to know how odd this document is.”

The Gospel of Judas

There has been lot's of smoke regarding the Gospel of Judas but not much light or heat. Here is an excellent article on the topic. The Gospel of Judas Here is an excerpt:

The existence of the Gospel of Judas has been known for centuries, and thus is no “new” discovery (only the discovery of the Coptic manuscript is “new”). In writing against ancient heresies, the church father Irenaeus (130-200 A. D.) said that the Gospel of Judas originated in a Gnostic sect called the Cainites. He wrote: “They produce a fictitious history of this kind, which they label the Gospel of Judas.” Ancient gnostics, whose teachings were rejected by early Christians as heretical, generally taught that material creation is evil, entrapping what belongs to the divine or spiritual realm. Souls (spirit) are imprisoned in human bodies and are released (thus “saved”) and ascend to the spiritual realm through knowledge (gnosis)

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - NBC cancels 'Book of Daniel'; Commentary from Veith

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - NBC cancels 'Book of Daniel'; Commentary from Veith

December 6 - St. Nicholas Day.

Happy St. Nicholas Day: "In Holland, everyone celebrates the Feast of Sinterklaas, or St. Nicholas, on the eve of December 6. After dinner, Dutch families hunt for their presents, following clues in funny, anonymous poems. They also eat candies and cookies, especially spicy crispy ginger-cookie figures formed in a traditional wooden mold. " From The Old Farmer's Almanac. Read the rest of the article here: December 6 - St. Nicholas Day.

Interesting Facts about C.S. Lewis

On the Christian History and Biography site you will find this article about C.S. Lewis Interesting and Unusual Facts about C. S. Lewis. Hope that you enjoy it.

A quote about the Chronicles of Narnia: Lewis explained that Aslan is not meant simply to "represent" Jesus: "Let us suppose that there were a land like Narnia and that the Son of God, as He became a Man in our world, became a Lion there, and then imagine what would happen."

REIKI

Reiki Just what is Reiki and where did it come from? Reiki (ray`-kee) is a system of energy healing based on the theory that a universal healing energy or life force permeates and infuses the universe.

Read this article from Christian Answers for the New Age to help you see that this is something Christians should avoid.

"Martin Luther: A Biography"

KFUO Issues, Etc.
Sunday, November 06
KFUO Host: Rev Todd Wilken
"Martin Luther: A Biography" Dr. Paul Maier, Western Michigan University

I'm looking forward to downloading this mp3 and listening to it while I go on my daily walk.

Congratulations Lakeshore High School Band

Congratulations to the Lakeshore High School Band on their 3rd place finish in the State Marching Band competition today at the Silver Dome

Future Pastor Kelly

Recieved a letter today from Brad Kelly indicating his intention of accepting our call to be associate pastor. We are looking forward to his arrival. His ordination and installation may be in mid December. Keep watching for further news.

Lutheran Hour Sermon

Lutheran Hour Sermon, October 30 by Rev. Mike Walther, Guest Speaker Here is an excellent sermon for Reformation based on Psalm 118.

Happy Reformation Day!

Dr. Scott Murray's Memorial Moment
If you have the time, read Dr. Scott Murray's Memorial moment for Reformation Day. (If you follow this link you will be taken to the current Memorial Moment)

Circuit Reformation Service

A Circuit Reformation Service will be held today St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Niles, MI at 4 PM. A meal will be served.