Pastor David Maier - Forward in Hope

Lent and Easter: Invitations to Honesty, Transparency, and Healing … for ALL

(As found in the May, 2011 issue of Michigan In Touch)

After listing the great heroes of the faith in chapter 11, Hebrews 12 begins with this grand encouragement:  1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Ah, yes, “the sin that so easily entangles.”  (All sin has that germinal propensity.)  The worst part about repeated sins, or even addictions, is the gnawing sense of unworthiness and guilt over failure.  We feel cast aside from God’s use and God’s love.  With a self-loathing that comes from our inability to meet the expectations of ourselves and others we get stuck in guilt.  Wallowing in shame we shrink from the healing and forgiveness that God freely offers.

Philip Yancy wrote of a prostitute’s shameful confession that she had wanted to rape her own sons.  She told of her rescue from that lifestyle and sexual addiction by those who loved her unconditionally and shared God’s love with her.  She later recounted that God’s grace can heal, but after a moment’s reflection added, “It isn’t easy to be healed.”

Change Your Life: THINK (... on These Things)

(As found in the March, 2011 issue of Michigan In Touch)

Imagine with me, if you will, that you are in fact an Olympic caliber athlete. You are in training for 1,600 and 3,200 meter events at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. With just a little over two years left for training and tryouts, how many of you would begin the Twinkies diet between now and the Games?

As I write this, The North American International Auto Show is taking place in Detroit, Michigan (1.11). From what I’ve heard (I’ve never been there), it’s a glitzy display case for the newest in automobile design and technology. If you were fortunate enough to be able to buy one of the display vehicles, would you fill the fuel tank with water, or Gatorade, or your favorite beer?

The food we eat or the fuel we use will ultimately determine the performance and well being of our bodies and our vehicles. Everyone would agree with this. From Atkins Bars or wheatgrass shots to octane boosters and synthetic oils, companies which help us determine what to put into our bodies and into our cars are multi-billion dollar industries.

What could be more important than what we put into our bodies and into our cars? Unfortunately, it is an area that we rarely deliberately consider, or if we do, it is with a “whatever” nonchalance. What you “fuel” your bodies or cars with really pales in comparison with what you feed … your minds.

A Season of MIRACLES - YES They Still Happen ... and We Need Them

MIRACLES … perhaps because of the age in which we live, have taken on the cloak of the fantastical, whimsical, or the special effect in a movie.  Maybe because of the very tough times in which we live they impossible.  Rarely, for many, do “miracles” embrace the category of “possibility” because of something supernatural, much less because of God.

Even those who “believe” in miracles have romantic notions of how and where they take place.  Too often we suppose that supernatural miracles only happen in special or splendid circumstances.  But part of the great Good News at Christmas is that God clothes Himself in the ordinary – and does amazing things!

This We Believe

One of the blessings of being a District President (I'm learning) is the privilege of being able to read books and other materials prior to their publication (with the opportunity also of being able to suggest and submit possible 'improvements').  President Hoesman shared one such resource with me in August of 2009 during a transition meeting.  It is entitled This We Believe with a subtitle of Selected Topics of Faith and Practice in The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. (The underlined title/subtitle are dynamic links that will take you directly to the order page at Concordia Publishing House [CPH].)

This We Believe is a outstanding resource that I've already referenced many times.  Whether sharing information and suggestions with pastors questioning how to respond to challenging questions and situations or discussing some of the LC-MS's doctrinal stances with laity, it is a most useful reference tool.

The following are a few excerpts from the Preface of This We Believe explaining its purpose and content:  "What is the position of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod on ...?"  This is

The Manhattan Declaration

In December of 2009 I began receiving emails and calls seeking information regarding The Manhattan Declaration.  During the last month questions have increased not only from individual pastors but also from circuits asking whether they could sign the Declaration.

The authors of The Manhattan Declaration (Robert George - Professor, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University; Timothy George - Professor, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University; and Chuck Colson - Founder, the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview (Lansdowne, VA)) have labeled the Declaration ‘A Call of Christian Conscience’.   It seems to be born out of two recognitions:

"What To Look For When Choosing A Church" - by Dr. Bryan Salminen

The following article was written by good friend Dr. Bryan Salminen for the purpose of being published in the Cadillac News.  It was also given to all of the members of the church he shepherds, Emmanuel, Cadillac.  In this article Bryan tackles, what I believe he has correctly identified as, one of the most perplexing issues of the Christian life today:  "Which church should I attend?"  Although the worship service should be engaging, too often, it seems, many look to be "entertained." 

Bryan gives some sound, biblical, easily understandable, thoughts and advice on this subject.  I hope that this post encourages some spirited discussion.  Enjoy reading the post.

How is The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) DIFFERENT?

Over the last number of months I've received numerous requests from from friends (laity) and other laity within The Michigan District, to discuss or explain the similarities and differences between The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).  The questions have arisen mostly, it seems, out of conversations between our LCMS members and their ELCA friends who are questioning the outcomes of their Synod's August, 2009, convention.

"Theses on Worship"

It was in September of 2009 that the Council of Presidents (COP) of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod unanimously adopted "Theses on Worship".  (The Council Of Presidents is made up of all the District Presidents in the LCMS and the President and Vice Presidents of the LCMS.)

This document has been "in process" since the 2007 Synodical Convention and were written in order to foster God-pleasing harmony in the worship of the gracious, merciful, only God.