Spring 2008

During a recent Packers' game last year, the camera zoomed in on a young girl holding a sign that read, "My mom thinks I'm in church." Yikes! Are Americans really that sports-oriented? Pastor Chryst, a Packers fan himself, clears up the confusion.

Bookstores are full of books on self-help and Christian living, but what does all this mean in the big scheme of things? Mr. Kudes takes us back to the apostles' lives and Christ's words to remind us that our life begins in one death.

You've been there. It's Sunday morning, and you just don't feel like going to church, much less taking the Lord's Supper. After all, you just received it last Sunday. Do you really need it again so soon? Pastor Wieting will fill you in on why you just might.

Ever wished you could shoot off a letter to the editor of Higher Things Magazine, telling him how you really feel about that ridiculous article on ballroom dancing or the absurdity of hearing about antiquated movies? Now you can. We're here to help you pen the most prolific and well thought out response you've ever had.

Is the picture with this article gruesome and gory? Or is it comforting and compassionate? If you're interested in articulating what the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper really is, Pastor Alms' article will help you do it.

Christians sometimes get labeled "close-minded" and "intolerant." But are we really? Or are we just interested in getting at the truth, no matter how hard it might be? Pastor Scarbeary has been told to be more open-minded, and he'll recount his experience first-hand.

Does your dachshund have more jackets than you do? Or do kick your grandma's poodle because it's just so annoying? What's the line between treating animals like people and using them as if they're indispensable? Read Dr. Yenor's commentary to discover a happy medium between the two.

Have you ever considered helping out at church? It's shocking, I know. After all, isn't it Pastor's job to make the coffee, straighten the chairs, and pass out the Bibles? It's not like he does much during the week anyway! But think on this (and we realize it's earth-shattering), you just might have a unique gift to share with the Church.

It's lonely being a Lutheran. Sometimes it seems like you're all alone in a sea of baby Baptism-bashing Evangelicals. So what's a person to do when friends and even family raise a questioning eyebrow at your baptismal beliefs? Check out Pastor Pauls' article, that's what!

Fighting bears, treacherous journeys, and witch clans all join up to make the much-contested The Golden Compass movie. It's clearly an anti-Christian movie, so should you go see it or not? Ask Mr. Wurdeman, and he'll give you his opinion.

Relationships are hard work. It's difficult to find the right person, tough to decide if he or she is the right one, and equally tricky to keep the romance alive. If you think you've found true love (and it's not with a quart of ice cream and Sleepless in Seattle on a Friday night) or if you just have some questions, Pastor Mons will debunk all your relationship myths.

It's getting close to Mother's Day, and Kathy has no idea what to get her mom. Then she saw it in the paper; a contest where the prize was a year's worth of free flowers for Mom. That should be easy enough, she decides. But how can she describe just how much her mom means to her in one thousand words or less?

It's an all too familiar feeling. You've done something wrong, you've repented, but you just can't seem to shake the guilt. Has God rally forgiven you sin? And if He has, why do you still feel remorse? Check out Pastor Petersen's article.

When Andrew Wurdeman sent in his featured article on the Golden Compass, his dad, Pastor Glen Wurdeman also contributed the following article from his church newsletter. One of the responsibilities of parents is guiding children through literature, and we present this to you for your edification in that task. -Ed.