It’s Reformation Sunday—last year marked the 500th anniversary of the reformation of the 16th century. That Reformation of the church that began on October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther posted a list of 95 issues that he wanted the church to discuss. Luther had been reading and studying the Bible and had discovered that the… Read More
Denny’s maternal grandfather was a farmer in southwest Minnesota. Albert Kersten was the oldest of 12 children born on that farm more than a century ago and he lived in the same house from birth until he retired from farming. When he retired, he and Denny’s grandma bought a house in Springfield and moved into… Read More
Last week, our association, LCMC, held it’s 18th Annual Gathering in Des Moines. And the theme, appropriately enough, was “Growing Up.” We’re 18 years old now and we expect our 18 year olds to begin to act like grown ups. We all understand that. Few things are more irritating to most of us than a… Read More
Recently I was asked to sit with a family in a hospital room while a palliative care nurse laid out end of life options for the person lying in the bed—a person that we would say is far too young to die. The elderly parents had been transported from the care facility where they live… Read More
Are you sure that you’re saved? Are you absolutely certain that when you die, you’ll go to heaven? How can we know for certain? And if you are sure, what is the basis for your certainty? These questions have been hotly debated in the church for the last 2000 years—and especially for the last 500… Read More