+Mikayla Anderson+

We learned this morning that Mikayla Anderson, daughter of our dear friend, Grace Keedy Anderson, suddenly died this morning.  She was the recipient of a heart transplant three years ago.  A number of weeks ago she suffered a heart attack and had to be resuscitated several times.  Over the past couple of weeks she seemed to be improving, baby steps they called it, and her future looked hopeful.  News of her passing has left Sherri and me shocked and saddened.

There are no words that we can speak but the Commendation of the Dying includes this prayer: O God, the Father, fountain and source of all goodness, we give thanks that You have kept Mikayla in the faith and have taken her to Yourself.  Comfort Grace and her family by your Holy Word and give them strength that when their last hour comes they may peacefully fall asleep in You.  Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Theology of the Cross vs. Theology of Glory

Prof. John Pless hits the proverbial nail on the head:

While Lutherans also confess that God is almighty, Lutheran theology does not begin with His majesty but with His mercy in Christ.

From Handling the Word of Truth, page 101

When should you buy books?

Whenever I get a little money, I buy books.  And if there's any left over, then I buy food and clothes.

Erasmus 

What happens when we make church about us

But when we make church about us, we can expect two things: shallow friendships and shallow faith.

Sharon Hodle Miller, "Free of Me," page 117

What original sin is

The original sin in a man is like his beard, which, though shaved off today so that a man  is very much smooth around his mouth, yet grows again by tomorrow morning...Just as original sin remains in us and desires itself as long as we live, but we must resist it and always cut off its hair.

Martin Luther (as only he could describe it)

from Trevor Sutton, "Being Lutheran," page 3 

A wonderful week!

We were blessed to reconnect with our dear friends, Dan and Janelle, who have relocated to a suburb north of Indianapolis.  They live in a beautiful home (Dan's man cave is going to be spectacular!) and are within driving distance to most of their kids.  We ate and drank too much and it was wonderful!  And our dog, Jake won over their affections.

Today I'll watch the UEFA Champions League finals with PSG to take a narrow victory over Arsenal.  Then we'll meet our friends Terry and Tom for dinner and see the "Breadwinner" movie starring our favorite, Nate Bargetze.  Tomorrow I'll do pulpit supply and in the afternoon watch our youngest grandson play soccer. Next week I'll keep working on providing the materials to Westbow Press so that my book project keeps moving forward.

Hope your weekend is full of blessings!

So you want to self-publish a book?

Jess Spurgin and I worked together for years in the radio broadcasting business.  When I returned to Phoenix in 2005 to serve as pastor of Life in Christ in Peoria, Jess offered me a time slot to write and record a weekly devotional program.  It was called "Wake Up With the Word," and since the program aired at 7:25 am the title was spot on.

Over a period of five years I wrote several hundred devotions.  Even after the program ended I continued to use the devotions to open Bible classes, ministry organizations meetings, and incorporating them into sermons.  The feedback I received was positive and it led me to consider putting some of them into book form for others to read.

First, with the help of my Administrative Assistant, Connie Kanzler, we put a simple book together.  It was fun to give them away and many folks said they found the devotions to be very encouraging.  

Now, in retirement I decided to take the next step and have the devotions self-published and I signed the contract this week.

Westbow Press is a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson/Zondervan which assists authors to self-publish their works.  There is much more involved in publishing a book than I imagined but I have a contact who has promised to walk me through the process every step of the way (I wonder if the guy knows what he's gotten himself into?)

I've set a deadline of October 1st to have the book completed.  Lots of decisions to be made in the meantime - Book title, cover design, page layout to name just a few.  

For years I've wanted to write a book.  These devotions are the perfect vehicle for such an idea.  From time to time I'll keep you posted on my progress.  Now it's time to get to work!