built on a rock
- By Pastor Bob Junak, Rock River Community Church, LuverneJune 26, 2024Who likes it when a great evening turns not so great, when a situation arises that places a negative spin on what was a positive experience? Not me! Unfortunately, this happened to Jesus too many times. The following are just two examples from scripture. Luke 5:17-19, 21:17: “One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that…
- By Pastor Andrew Palmquist, Bethany Lutheran Church, LuverneJune 19, 2024I suppose you might call it faith if you believe in the sun, even on a cloudy day. We probably all have that kind of faith. There are places where it might cloud over for weeks at a time. It’s easy to get discouraged by the gray sky. Yet, even in cloudy weather we know the sun is still up there. It’s still providing heat and light. It’s still making life possible. What happens if our life…
- By Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, St. John Lutheran Church, LuverneJune 12, 2024Family is one of God's first and greatest gifts. From the beginning, God created the family as the foundation of human society. He gave us husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and brothers and sisters. In the family we find love, support and a sense of belonging. It is within the family that we first experience unconditional love and learn to love others in return. The family is a…
- By Pastor Sarah Zender, Grace Lutheran Church, LuverneJune 05, 2024I love an underdog. Always have. I’m GenX, so my list includes old ones. Rudy. Hoosiers. Miracle?! I suppose some recent ones I’ve seen aren’t even that new. The Hunger Games. Or Inside Out, when Joy finally recognizes the importance of Sadness. I love watching someone who is unlikely to win, sticks to their craft with perseverance and hope, overcomes the odds, and wins. Never gets old.…
- By Praveen Muthusamy, Hills United Reformed ChurchMay 29, 2024Officially Memorial Day is a federal holiday to celebrate the heroes in the United States Armed Forces who died serving our country. Unofficially many see this day as a start of summer and travel to different places with family. It is a comfort to know that wherever we go this summer, God is always there with us. The last time I wrote on March 14, 2024, we considered the first six verses of…
- By Rev. Dr. Steven Voris, First Presbyterian Church, LuverneMay 22, 2024As a U.S. Navy Chaplain who served the sea services from 2006-2014, I officiated at funeral and memorial services of active duty U.S. sailors and marines plus those Dec. 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor attack survivors who chose to be buried with shipmates at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, rather than be buried with loved ones in their hometowns. A few of those services were for troops killed in action. Memorial…
- By Pastor Walt Moser, First Baptist Church, LuverneMay 15, 2024Let me share several verses of scripture that remind us of who the great and mighty God we serve is. The Lord of lords, and King of kings, the only true and living God describes himself in many wonderful ways. Enjoy these verses. “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” (Exodus 15:2) “…
- By Pastor Joe Steenholdt, Luverne Christian Reformed ChurchMay 08, 2024I imagine many of you are getting ready to celebrate the mothers in your life this weekend. If you are not — take this as a reminder! I do not want to rush past Mother’s Day or downplay their unique place in our lives, but I have noticed another spring holiday has fallen on hard times. If you read this article on Thursday, May 9, do you know what holiday it is? Thursday, May 9, is forty days…
- By Pastor Jeremy Wiersema, Reformed Church of SteenMay 01, 2024The week of April 8 was Severe Weather Awareness Week in Minnesota. Each year the National Weather Service makes an effort in every state to draw attention to the dangers of severe weather. At some point in all of our lives we have seen the devastation that severe weather can cause. We have seen destroyed homes, broken trees, and ruined crops. Storms are something that we all have learned to…
- By Pastor Michael Geiger, Crosspoint Church, Georgetown, Texas, (WELS)April 24, 2024Luke 24:30 “When he (Jesus) was at the table with them (the disciples), he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Do you spend time in the Bible for…
- By Pastor Josh Hayden, Living Rock Church, LuverneApril 17, 2024One of the privileges of being a father of three young children is the ability to watch some cartoons with them every once in a while. The other day, my two youngest were watching a show called “Wild Kratts,” a show about two brothers who feature different wild animals. On this show they were introducing kids to the basilisk lizard (feel free to google it now to see it.) The Kratt brothers were…
- By Manda Steensma, NextGen Pastor, Rock River Community Church, LuverneApril 10, 2024Are you one of the lucky ones that has had braces? Or maybe you currently have braces like me. Yup, braces as an adult. It’s funny how kids respond to them. “Oh, you have braces?” I think instead they want to say, “You’re old. Why do you have braces?” Why braces? Because something needs to be fixed. Was that too simple? Okay, some reasons then: overbite, underbite, open bite, spacing,…
- By Pastor Andrew Palmquist, Bethany Lutheran Church, LuverneApril 03, 2024In the news an Illinois man was released from prison after serving nearly 30 years for murder. A fresh examination of DNA evidence proved he wasn’t the killer. “I feel vindicated,” he said. To be vindicated is to be cleared of guilt or to be proven right. At Easter who needed to be vindicated? Our Lord. On Good Friday it sure looked like Jesus was wrong. He was put on trial by Jewish leaders…
- By Pastor Praveen Muthsuamy, Hills United Reformed ChurchMarch 13, 2024In the first six verses of Psalm 139, David talks about God’s omniscience, which basically means God sees and knows everything. David does not use the technical term omniscience, but he praises God for his thorough knowledge of him. In verse 1 David says, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me!” David confesses that God knows everything about him. Then he goes on to use what we call as…
- By Rev. Dr. Steven Voris, First Presbyterian Church, LuverneMarch 06, 2024Of the many different types of verbal and nonverbal prayer, intercessory prayer is the type that is pure love. There isn’t anything wrong with praying for oneself or praying for a close family member or friend. Jesus prayed for himself in John 17:5. However, when we pray for someone we don’t know, or for a troubling situation far away that doesn’t impact our daily lives, then that intercessory…
- By Pastor Walt Moser, First Baptist Church, LuverneFebruary 28, 2024At the heart of Christianity lies a symbol that transcends time and culture: the cross. Christians around the world hold the significance of the cross beyond its physical form; it embodies the very essence of their faith. Its importance is multifaceted, representing sacrifice, redemption and hope. At the core of the Christian message is the belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who willingly…
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