missionaryMAC

One of LAC's new-ish missionaries is the LCMS's foremost expert on house blessings, having written his doctoral thesis on the topic. When the Rev. Dr. Ross Shaver posted the following on Facebook on January 6, then, I was his eager first taker:  'Tis is the season of Epiphany and the traditional time of year for a house blessing. This is a salutary and ancient Christian tradition that every pastor can and should utilize in his pastoral care of souls. This topic is near and dear to my heart as I did my doctoral dissertation on it several years ago now. If anyone would like to know more, or have your house blessed, contact your pastor or message me for more information.  I'd held a house blessing in May 2019 , a few months after moving in, but after moving back in  in May 2023 following an almost two year hiatus...I relished the idea of inviting Christ into my space once again.  We did the opening - doubling up with the common AND Epiphany options for certain readings ...

The last line in one of the chapters of Leaning on Jesus  I read for last week's Friday morning Bible study stuck out to me, given a conversation earlier in the week about refuting decision theology.  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16, emphasis added) Christ  makes the body grow; I got to witness this gracious action of His firsthand Sunday. Tirzah mentioned she planned to make a same day roundtrip trek to Santo Domingo for the Baptism of LAC's newest MK Augusto; with no particular reason to be at "my" church, I decided to tag along. Within ten minutes of leaving the neighborhood, we witnessed two cars driving erratically and later, at a signal, passing a liquor bottle back and forth! Man, it wa...

The title was my reply when a coworker asked me yesterday morning how last week was for me.  It's either a sign I'm crazier than the minimal level of crazy you have to be in order to live this overseas life and keep a smile on your face, or a sign that my side (lodging and transportation) of the annual FPH conference, bringing together the DR seminary's distance seminary students and their pastoral mentors, ran like a well-oiled machine. In this case, it was the latter, in large part thanks to my protege and her Regional Business Manager husband . I spent a minimal amount of time in Palmar, but I happened to be there the morning of the group picture. I did have SOMETHING to do with getting everyone here...and making sure they all left ;) Way back in November, not-so-conveniently just as I set off on a combined work trip/vacation in Europe, it was time to purchase twenty-six plane tickets. This was something even I'd never done on such a scale, so Dana & I collaborat...

I rang in 2025 in Kingston, Jamaica, with a work team of volunteers from Memorial Lutheran in Sioux Falls, SD. The front of their matching shirts was emblazoned with the title phrase; the trip came together quickly but all in God's perfect timing after team leader Melinda volunteered at LAC's regional conference in August .  As per usual, I arrived in-country with a couple days of prep time. By the time all was said and done, I'd made the rounds of three stores.  Arriving late on a Saturday night, one of the team's first experiences was a joint Divine Service with members from both Faith and St. Andrew. Pastor Ite enthusiastically accepted music teacher Mindee's offer to accompany the hymns instead of using pre-recorded versions. No trip to Kingston is complete without the world's 4th best ice cream . Grape Nuts (yes, like the cereal) for me. One of the three stores I'd hit up prior to the team's arrival was a hardware store, all the while  knowing  we...