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Words of Wisdom – Encouraging Word – January 2015

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Looking at Life as Jesus’ Redeemed Servants

We are Jesus’ hands and feet and mouth during this time of grace before he comes again. He served us and gave his all to redeem us for himself. So we live to move and act in his name and for the benefit of the rest of his mystical body on earth. That is a high honor indeed, to serve him in serving his mystical body for the short time that we have here. Looking at life that way is a mark of having found the middle road between excessive love for the world and ungrateful contempt for it. With such an attitude, we do not imagine that the goal of life is just to get more for my own indulgence; nor do we look at life with sour and grumpy ingratitude for God’s blessings to us in the world and the good reasons he has for being so generous to us.”

Deutschlander, Daniel M. The Narrow Lutheran Middle. Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 2011.

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Words of Wisdom – Encouraging Word – November 2014

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Provide an Ongoing Flow of Information about the Congregation’s Work

“In a communication-saturated age, churches need to find and utilize multiple avenues for getting their message across.

“As an ongoing follow-up to a new member informational packet, the congregation would do well to publish a monthly newsletter, as well as written quarterly reports from all the boards, committees, and organizations of the congregation. Since every member shares in the mission of the congregation, it is vital that every member be kept informed about that mission and what the congregation is doing to fulfill it. Communication—from the voters’ assembly, from the church council, from organizations, from the pastor, from the Lutheran elementary school principal, from boards and committees—helps to keep the work of the church before the eyes and in the hearts of the members of the congregation.”

Valleskey, David J. We Believe – Therefore We Speak. Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1995.