Twenty-Five Years

Today is the twenty-fifth anniversary of my ordination into the Office of the Holy Ministry. This trip began as odd as one would expect. My colleague, Scott Stiegemeyer, and I were serving as admission counselors at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne. It was just a few short months since Dean Wenthe was elected president. […]

The Word Remains, a Hopeful Book by an Old Lutheran

A review essay by Todd A. Peperkorn The Word Remains: Selected Writings on the Church Year and the Christian Life is a collection of sermons and writings by the renowned mission pastor and nineteenth century theologian, Wilhelm Löhe (1808-1872). I first ran into this book while visiting Neuendettelsau in 2009. We were staying with friends […]

On Visits and My Mother

The last few weeks have been rather intense at my congregation. We have had a lot of people in the hospital, at least for our small-medium sized congregation. Surgeries, treatments for various types of cancer and other long-term diseases, really all kinds of things. I would say this is all typical, but there is nothing […]

On the Reason for Curmudgeonness

I often wonder why I get so, uh, curmudgeonly during Christmas time. It is one of the two highest feast days of the Christian Church. The music and Scripture readings for the season are sublime. In every measurable way, it is a time of great joy and happiness. Family gather together. There is festiveness in […]