This is one of the most compelling videos that I've seen in awhile. Make sure you watch this all the way to the very end! NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' abou ..read more

"Jesus, Lord at Thy birth." #SilentNight Isaiah 9:6 (ESV) "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Matthew 1:21 (ESV) "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (ESV) "For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." 2 Corinthians 9:15 (ESV) "Thanks be t ..read more

As a friend of mine once commented while thinking about all of the classic, traditional Gospel-soaked Christmas carols... "On Judgement Day, nobody who regularly celebrates Christmas and who hears the wall-to-wall Christmas carols played and sung each year from the start of November through the end of December, will have an excuse or the right to claim they didn't know who Jesus Christ was, they didn't know why He came into the world for us, or that they just didn't have enough information to know anything about Him or God's plan for humanity." This is most certainly true. NOTE: Please ..read more

"Advent is therefore a very important season for us to observe so that we might appreciate the significance of Christmas. Advent teaches us about our weakness, and it therefore directs us to take great comfort in the Son of God becoming flesh in order to serve us and give His life as a ransom for us. Indeed all of Advent, is about preparing us for Christmas, in which God claims our flesh and blood as His most treasured possession, so dear to Him that He suffers His own wrath to redeem it from sin and hell."  -- Rev. Andrew Preus NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordain ..read more

This is from Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller and it's really good...   "Thanksgiving Reorients"  I’ve been thinking a lot about the spiritual efficacy of Thanksgiving, especially in the context of Romans 1. See how the lack of thanksgiving is a mark of the pagan, unbelieving mind, and how (1) not honoring God, and (2) not giving thanks are the two indications of a mind becoming futile and a heart becoming dark. And more, this is the first step towards idolatry and social/moral upheaval.  Romans 1: 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteous ..read more

Hey kids, even "Martian" Luther with his "95 Reese's" says you should check your candy for razor blades, but also your theology for "leaven" (Galatians 5:9; 1 Corinthians 5:6). Why? Because the world and the church is still full of "wolves" in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15; Matthew 10:16) as well as "goats" (Matthew 25 ) and "tares" (Matthew 13:24-30) just like God said it would be. As my Pastor reminded us on Sunday morning, abide in Him and in His Word! That way, you'll not only allow the Holy Spirit to "reform" you on a daily basis through repentance and faith, but you'll also be bett ..read more

This is one of the best short introductions to Lutheran worship I've seen. Pastor David Arthur Kind explains how a sacramental view of creation, salvation, and worship makes Lutheran worship distinct from that of other churches. VIDEO: An Introduction To Lutheran Worship (10-Minutes)   Pastor Kind also wrote what I still think is the best short introduction to the Liturgy in a book titled About Our Liturgy. You can learn more about University Lutheran Chapel which is an LCMS campus congregation at the University of Minnesota. NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and o ..read more

Recently, the 7th Annual ACELC Free Conference "Christ For Us: The Order of Creation" was held at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE. I was particularly interested in Rev. Jeffrey Hemmer's presentation and the topics he discussed. It was titled the "Rise of Effeminacy And Contemporary Worship (CoWo)" and it reminded me of a commentary I once wrote back in 2015 titled "NEWSFLASH: What's Wrong With Christ's Church? Too Many Women 'Pollyannas' And Men With 'Peter Pan Syndrome'" which addressed some of the same themes in Christ's Church today. LECTURE: Rise of Effeminacy And Contempo ..read more

Here's a beautiful description of the Means of Grace we call the Lord's Supper (a.k.a. Holy Communion)... "So far as we humans can judge, a church bereft of the Sacrament would be swallowed up by the world and cease to be church, just as has in fact transpired. Whenever the Lord’s Supper has been permitted to decay, the boundary lines between church and world have universally disappeared and the church has been absorbed into the world. The Supper is thus the Sacrament in which the church’s 'foreignness from the world,' and hence her essence as church of God, finds visible expression. ... Be ..read more

I'm always on the lookout for good content from other Pastors on Social Media. One such provider of consistently exceptional content is Rev. Christopher Thoma who's a Lutheran Pastor in Hartland, MI at Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church & School. Here's his self-reflection on the Annual "The Body of Christ And The Public Square" Conference just held there at his church. After enjoying a richly fruitful event yesterday — our Annual “The Body of Christ and the Public Square” Conference — I’m again reminded of life’s strangeness. I acknowledge that Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Chu ..read more