Working Together
There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. – 1 Corinthians 12:5,6; NIV For more than one year our family had been planning a trip to Washington D.C. … (read more)
Four Out of Five
In the first full week of June, our missionary staff, inquirers and candidates, together with a few members of our governing Council, gathered in retreat at a family resort near Balsam Lake, Wisconsin. We gathered to pray for the evangelization … (read more)
In Jesus’ Name
Over the past few months we have considered Martin Luther’s counsel regarding prayer. In 1535, he wrote a booklet on the topic. This month we conclude with a final bit of Luther’s profound and practical advice. When you pray, Luther … (read more)
Thrivent Choice
Last year Thrivent Financial for Lutherans ® started a new charitable grant program called Thrivent ChoiceSM. This replaced Giving Plus®, which was discontinued at the end of 2009. Giving Plus® worked out very well for us. Between 2005 and 2009 … (read more)
Fishing for People
“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)
Praying Twice
“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)
Financial Records
“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)
Praying a “Garland of Four Strands”
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)
Last Will and Testament
“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)
Our First Order of Business
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)