“Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” – Luke 5:10b When Jesus called Simon to follow him, he was calling an ordinary man to an impossible task. In some gospel accounts it appears that Jesus walked up … (read more)
“How should I pray effectively?” asked Peter Beskendorf centuries ago. Peter was a friend of Martin Luther – the Great Reformer’s barber. Luther responded with a little booklet, published in 1535. “How one should pray,” he called it helpfully. Over … (read more)
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” – 2 Cor. 4:18 A couple of weeks ago we decided to move the business … (read more)
Last month we introduced a little booklet written by Martin Luther for his friend and barber, Peter Beskendorf. The booklet is titled simply, How One Should Pray, for Master Peter the Barber. Luther presents prayer as a discipline – as … (read more)
“I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” – John 1:34 Over the years I have had the privilege of reading scores of wills written by brothers and sisters who have named the World Mission Prayer League as … (read more)
In 1535, an old friend of Martin Luther – his barber, in fact, a man named Peter Beskendorf – asked Luther for counsel concerning prayer. How could he deepen his prayer life? How could he pray effectively, and keep things … (read more)
It is sometimes said that you can travel the world over “on your knees” – as in, “If you can’t get to the nations on your own two feet, you can surely get there on your knees.” The imagery is, … (read more)
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” – Hebrews 13:8 French novelist Alphonse Karr is credited with originating the proverb, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Karr lived in the 19th century, and his … (read more)
“Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:42 Most of us know the story of the sisters Martha and Mary. Martha invited Jesus into her home and began making preparations; Mary … (read more)
In this wonderful season of the year, one of my favorite characters is Simeon (cf. Luke 2:22-35). I love this old man. The rhythm of his life, it seems to me, captures the rhythm of the season, as it flows … (read more)