The Death to Self
My dad is a career blood donor. I’ve lost count of the number of gallons of his blood he’s donated, one pint at a time, to help others in crisis. It costs him time, and each donation takes about a tenth of his blood out of his body. My dad needs his blood, but by...
Humility
People are often known primarily for what they have done. In fact, we tend to define who people are by what they have accomplished in life. Someone may be described as a pro football player, a scratch golfer, the CEO of a large company, a doctor, a pastor, a teacher,...
New WMCLB Co-Director
Hi! My name is Karen Stenberg. I have been on the WMCLB Leadership team as the Secretary and am now excited to move into the role of Co-Director of Women’s Ministries with Barbara Heggland! I just want to share with you a little bit about myself and my heart for...
The Joy of the Journey Down
Drew seemed to have it all. A degree in finance. A job in the business world that could make him wealthy. But one day he walked away from that world and enrolled in Lutheran Brethren Seminary to prepare for ministry. What happened? What happened is this: Drew was...
In Appreciation of Dr. Mathiesen
Dr. Gaylan Mathiesen is Professor of Mission and Evangelism at Lutheran Brethren Seminary. He has served in this capacity since the summer of 2005. This summer Gaylan will be retiring, as he completes seventeen years of teaching at LBS. During these years, he has not...
Introduction of New LBS Faculty
In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, we find Solomon’s “poem for the seasons.” It reminds us that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (3:1). Although it’s not stated explicitly in that poem, one of the seasons the Lord leads us through is...
We Will See the Glory of the Lord
Recently I have been studying the story of Elijah, the Old Testament prophet. I often preorder English Bible study materials according to the mood of the day. I like the author of the material. Or… this looks like an interesting topic. Months later, when I actually...
Small… Yet Significant
On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The explosion, which killed eleven men, eventually resulted in five million gallons of oil leaking into the gulf waters. Carl-Henric Svanberg, the British...
Peace for Your Soul
Before entering the ministry, I was a salesman. I worked for a company that sold home décor to little “mom and pop” shops across the Midwest. We sold figurines, clocks, and Christmas ornaments. I continued in that job part-time while at Seminary. I would travel the...
Peace that Divides
On Christmas Day 1863, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, sitting before a table in Cambridge, Massachusetts, took up his pen and paper. His heart was filled with despair. A few years earlier, his wife of eighteen years had tragically died in an accidental fire, and he...
Light in the World
Let me tell you about Derrick Hayes. While in the Oakland-San Francisco area on a youth mission trip with Atonement Lutheran Church of Fargo, North Dakota, our group decided to go out for ice cream after a long day of helping the homeless. Little did we know that a...
Undeserved Mercy
When I was introduced to him, John was only one bad “fix” away from death. John had been actively using drugs since the age of nine. His father introduced him to drugs and alcohol to calm him down when he was acting up or just trying to be a kid. As you can imagine,...
Called by the Prince of Peace
Isaiah prophesied that the Prince of Peace would reign over his kingdom. In the New Testament we discover that this Prince would not establish his rule with armies and weapons but through followers and the gospel. Jesus Christ has been calling disciples to carry his...
Redeeming Eid al-Adha
Some of my fondest memories of community life in the Muslim village in Chad that my family lived in for nearly ten years revolve around the holidays—not only Christian holidays, but also Muslim ones. Perhaps the most popular Muslim holiday of the year is Eid al-Adha...
Lunar New Year
If you were to lump together the sense of family, friends, and feasting of Thanksgiving, the deep well of tradition at Christmas, and the pomp and celebration of New Year’s Day, that may get you close to what Lunar New Year is like. It is arguably the oldest and most...