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LCMS Specialized Pastoral Ministry – April 2016 newsletter

The April 2016 issue of A Pastoral Touch shares information about the SPM Recruitment Task Force, the Zion XVI Conference Sept. 15-18 in Belleville, Ill., and other important items.

Why Luther’s Hymns Sound the Way They Do

A composer can never escape his own style, and this is true even of amateur composers such as Martin Luther. Embracing the musical arts in both his schooling and his cloistered life, Luther became a proficient instrumentalist on the lute and the transverse flute.

Lost

You have probably read the startling statistics of teens and young adults lost from the church. The church must take seriously the search for young adults. God hasn’t given up on bringing them back, and neither should we.

Dürer’s Small Passion: Dawn to Dusk with Christ in Three Panels

In the Small Passion Albrecht Dürer devotes three woodcuts to the Scriptural accounts of Easter day enabling us, with our own eyes, to see holy events as if they are happening right now. He places you, me, and himself as participants in salvation's narrative as he draws us into the resurrection of Christ.

Helping the Right Way

The most well-intentioned gifts, given in the wrong way, often end up hurting the recipient, the community, and the local church.

‘Free To Be Faithful’ – Spring 2016 newsletter

The spring 2016 Free To Be Faithful Newsletter contains information about several pending U.S. Supreme Court cases affecting religious liberty, including those impacting the pro-life movement and the Catholic organization Little Sisters of the Poor.

Journal of Lutheran Mission – April 2016

Featuring papers from the recent LCMS Mission Summit, the April issue of the Journal of Lutheran Mission discusses and critiques seminary education and the importance of teaching the faith both at home and around the world.

Bible Study with Luther: Galatians 3:1-9

The Holy Spirit is not simply the initial cause of faith but continues to be at work in the life of the Church keeping us in the faith by the proclamation of the Word and through that faith the Lord declares us to be righteous and heirs of eternal life.

When Trolls Attack

By Peter Slayton One of the most discouraging things about social media is the existence of trolls. I’m not talking about your high school friend that disagrees with every single…

The Doctrine of the Church in the Lutheran Confessions

In 1521 Thomas Murner, one of Luther’s early Catholic opponents, attacked Luther’s view of the church, accusing him of “building a church the way that Plato builds a city”

LCMS Ministry to the Armed Forces – Second Quarter 2016 newsletter

In this issue of So Help Me God from the LCMS Ministry to the Armed Forces, information is provided about The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s project Operation Barnabas. Operation Barnabas seeks to train and equip people in our congregations to reach out to veterans and their families.

Tips for Starting a Campus Ministry

Do you have a college near you? Would you like to learn how to begin a campus ministry there? There are a lot of things to consider when starting a campus ministry…

Luther on the Cross and Suffering

Luther says that suffering should not be something we choose. We can’t choose which cross we bear. That’s up to God. Luther addresses this with four reasons.

Addressing Mental Illness in the Church

Pat Doyle offers insightful and practical information to churches, law enforcement and other community-based groups that wish to provide a caring, healthful and helpful approach to persons with mental illness.

What Jesus Has Longed to Give You

In his Maundy Thursday sermon given at the Synod’s International Center Chapel Service March 24, LCMS Chaplain William Weedon helps us appreciate Christ’s sacrifice, His body and blood, and the forgiveness that Jesus aches to give us.