It’s been a busy couple of weeks. But then again, for as quiet as it might sometimes seem, there’s always a lot happening here at Our Savior. A good part of my time lately has been spent in one-on-one conversations with so many of you—which is a good thing. Conversation is good. In a basic…

For the record, I made a commitment to myself three weeks ago that I was going to shorten these Monday morning eNewsletter messages. I believe my first attempt two weeks ago was reasonably successful. However, last week’s note… well… I couldn’t stop writing, even though I started the whole thing by saying I didn’t really…

   As always, I pray things are well with you. I hope you know that’s not just lip service. Truly, every single week, my routine is the same. Starting on Monday and ending the following Sunday morning before worship, I spend time making my way through the whole list of members here at our Savior,…

I’ll be swift with my thoughts this morning. In truth, I have little energy today for much more than what I’m being moved to ponder out loud right now. As a pastor, there’s something I’ve learned all too well over the years. I assure you it was already true long before the fresh stack of…

Technically, the sun rose this morning at 6:04 AM. I watched it from my kitchen window. It was stunning. Before the moment had fully developed, the world beyond my window pane was a cool and shapeless dark with very little definition. I could barely make the mist twirling up from the Shiawassee River. Although, peering…

It’s good to be home. Still, vacations certainly are great. They’re the allotment of time and distance you set aside for setting things aside. But let me just shoot straight with you. I get more than a little anxious before coming home. We haven’t been taking vacations as a family for that many years, so…

   I pray all remains well with you. Considering 2020’s winter and spring cargo, my hope is that its summer will bring to us a semblance of calm. The Thoma clan will be leaving for Florida soon. We were concerned we might not be able to go, but as it turns out, Governor Ron DeSantis…

How can any of us not be moved to exclaim with concern, “What a world we’re living in right now!”?    Pandemics. Failing economies. Skyrocketing unemployment. Brutality. Death. Divisions. Riots.    America’s list is rather long these days.    Like me, I’m sure many of you are consuming your fair share of articles offering a…

I hope all is well with you and your family. I continue to pray for you daily, trusting that the Lord knows your struggles, and even before any particular challenge may begin, He’s already at work using it for the good of your salvation (Romans 8:28). It’s important to say and repeat this. We need…

For those of you who made it to worship at Our Savior yesterday, if you took anything more from the sermon than the Gospel of Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, I hope it’s that you noticed I didn’t use the words “coronavirus” or “COVID-19” once in the whole sermon. That was deliberate. Like…