During the course of my ministry, I have often been asked by elders a question about what might be termed “pastoral tenure.” The question often arises within the context of a church’s vacancy and its search for the names of ministers to whom the congregation might extend a call. In the course of their search […]

                  Dear Readers, It is a great privilege for me to be writing you this month. I am thankful to God for the opportunity to serve you and the broader community of readers of our materials. As we look to the future, my prayer is that the […]

This past summer I had my first opportunity to visit Scotland. It was a marvelous trip. Scotland is a country of great beauty and great contrasts—the lochs (lakes), the bens (mountains), the moors, the glens (narrow valleys), the towns and cities. The greatest fascination for me was to be able to see many of the […]

When I was in grammar school, it was said that the longest word in the English language was antidisestablishmentarianism. Most of us did not know what that word meant, but it was fun occasionally to roll that big word around in the mouth. Eventually, I looked the word up in a dictionary and learned that it […]

Eternal life is promised to us, but it is promised to the dead; we are told of the resurrection of the blessed, but meantime we are involved in corruption; we are declared to be just, and sin dwells within us; we hear that we are blessed, but meantime we are overwhelmed by untold miseries…Faith is […]

1996 marks the 450th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther. The pioneering reformer breathed his last on February 18, 1546. He was 62 years old.               Luther’s last word was a convinced “Yes” to the question put to him by one of his pastors and spiritual counselors, “Reverend […]