The Greatest Gift - Freedom

On January 21st, I had the privileged of delivering the chapel sermon on Galatians 4:8-11. It was on one of my favorite topics - freedom. The passage addresses those who would give up the freedom that they have received to return to a life of spiritual slavery. Who’s trying to take your freedom away?

⁸Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. ⁹But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? ¹⁰You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! ¹¹I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. Galatians 4:8-11

Unity of Faith

“We stand in a fellowship which holds fast the entire Word of God, the entire revelation, a fellowship in which souls are properly cared for and in which God is given the honor which is due Him. What a blessing we share! We cannot sufficiently praise it!…lt is God who has given us understanding so that we do not swim with the unionistic stream of the day but rather hold the entire Word of God in high esteem and accept it by faith. Read more

Use Music to Develop Kids’ Skills and Character | Edutopia

There has been some discussion on the Lutheran blogs regarding the use of music as a tool of the Holy Spirit. While I am not sure about the Holy Spirit’s use of music as a tool, I do know that educators are interested in its use as a pedagogical tool. Wonder what educators are saying about the use of music in education to develop children’s skills and character. Take a look at the following article from Edutopia. Use Music to Develop Kids’ Skills and Character | Edutopia

If you are wondering what Luther thought about the importance of music, here’s a tasty little quote  …

“I, Doctor Martin Luther, wish all lovers of the unshackled art of music grace and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ!

I truly desire that all Christians would love and regard as worthy the lovely gift of music, which is a precious, worthy, and costly treasure given to mankind by God.

The riches of music are so excellent and so precious that words fail me whenever I attempt to discuss and describe them…. In summa, next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. It controls our thoughts, minds, hearts, and spirits…

Our dear fathers and prophets did not desire without reason that music be always used in the churches. Hence, we have so many songs and psalms.

This precious gift has been given to man alone that he might thereby remind himself that God has created man for the express purpose of praising and extolling God.

However, when man’s natural musical ability is whetted and polished to the extent that it becomes an art, then do we note with great surprise the great and perfect wisdom of God in music, which is, after all, His product and His gift; we marvel when we hear music in which one voice sings a simple melody, while three, four, or five other voices play and trip lustily around the voice that sings its simple melody and adorn this simple melody wonderfully with artistic musical effects, thus reminding us of a heavenly dance, where all meet in a spirit of friendliness, caress and embrace.

A person who gives this some thought and yet does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs.”

- Martin Luther

‘95 Theses’ - Rap Music Video

Standards-based Report Cards for Seminarians?

A New York school has traded the traditional letter grade report card system for a standards-based one: Read more