It's a new year, and a time when many people make all kinds of resolutions for the year ahead. Some of these will have a lasting impact. Most tend to be frivolous, and even more will be broken well before January draws to a close.

Here's one resolution urged on me by an old pastor many years ago: never let a day pass by when you don't read God's word. It's some of the best advice I have ever received. While my desk returns to its usual messy state within days of a new resolution, and my diet has its ups and downs, this one resolution is one that has been worth working hard to keep?

Why?

Because it's God's word. And, therefore, it is a powerful word. Whenever we hear God speak, whether through preaching, teaching or conversation, or through reading the Bible, we put ourselves at the disposal of His Holy Spirit, to create, sustain and strengthen faith, to mortify the sinful flesh and to empower in the fight against sin.

So why not make this new year one where you let God into your daily life in a new way through His word? Then, whether it turns out happy or not, you can be sure it will be blessed.

This is the time of year again, the time for students from all over the world to come to the UK for a university experience. This 'invasion' is a good thing. Those students will challenge the values of the people who are here. Sometimes those students will be in conflict with the people here. Conflict can be a good thing. It's a tremendous learning experience. Remember, not everyone thinks the same way as you!

So, if you're reading this, and if you're preparing to invade or preparing to be invaded, hopefully you can see some good to all of this. In Lutheran churches this year, the Gospel texts are from the Gospel according to Mark. From that perspective, Jesus enters the scene rather forcefully--in traditional terms, like a lion--and causes no small amount of conflict. Certainly some good things came from THAT invasion!

And for all the invading Lutheran students, please feel free to contact a nearby Lutheran pastor who can serve as chaplain for you. If you are doing the invading, a 'military' chaplain might be just the thing during these 'difficult' times.

Labels: Lutheran chaplains

I just heard of the possibility of a Salsa event at Luther-Tyndale for older youth/young adults, literally those who have outgrown the 11-18 youth group. I think it's an excellent idea. Thanks to all who are helping with this. Look to the ELCE website for more info--or this blog.

Labels: gathering, gathering London, London, students

This is the time of the year when students might hear that they are headed to the UK for a term, a year, perhaps even three years! There will be many things to take care of.

But literally millions of students have come to these shores. It might help to talk to some of them. Perhaps it would help to talk to other Lutherans as well.

If you are a future Lutheran student in the UK, please make your presence known to someone--at least your pastor, but perhaps also the closest Lutheran clergy to the university that you will be attending.

Before you know it, there will again be a million things to do. You will again be headed somewhere, perhaps this time 'home'. But you probably won't be the same. Perhaps the UK will never be the same! Hopefully you will make it a better place for the next million or so students.

Labels: chaplains, students

A Lutheran student in the UK recently brought this to my attention, although I had heard much contained within this video before.

Here is the link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-594683847743189197 (ZeitgeistI)

I don’t think I could actually recommend someone watch it, but it exists whether you watch it or not. It is the ‘spirit of the times’ (Zeitgeist).

I watched it. What I usually don’t hear too often is a denial that Jesus never existed, that everything was made up--because there were other similar stories to Jesus’ life (someone in Egyptian mythology, e.g., was born on 25 December, did miracles, died, and was resurrected). That’s a bold statement!

The video I watched connected this anti-religious view to an anti-authoritarian view. The video’s message was that those in authority are not to be trusted; people should think for themselves. Specifically 9/11 and the US Federal Reserve were brought up. I remember hearing some of the same statements about the Federal Reserve already in the seventies. The sixties must have been a significant change in the view of authority within both the US and the UK.

As with many statements, there is some good to them and some bad. The importance of things needs to be weighed. To do that a person needs an accurate tool of measurement. The video praised human thought, what a person thinks in the hear and now. Certainly this should be done, but certainly within limits.

Here are some final thoughts:

The video’s depiction of Christianity was unfair, but I shouldn’t have expected anything else. Society is unfair. God is often unfair. People are given a wide variety of things. These things are then usually taken away.

The video’s depiction of religion was accurate. All false religions have been made up by people in an effort to control others, in a desire for power. The fall into sin was also an uprising against God, an effort to take him out of the picture.

God has the power. Sometimes he gives it to some people. That’s called authority. He’s certainly the author of it all. That’s not a bad thing.

Christianity is something different than 'religion' though. The wonderful thing was that Jesus gave away his power on the cross as a sacrifice for sin. That’s a story you don’t hear of in legends or myths. Why would God die in the place of people? Why would God love his people so much? In other stories, gods die and come back to life. In the Christian story, Jesus did this for us and for our salvation.

That fact is something worth ‘watching’ again and again.

Labels: Christianity

People talk about getting ready for Christmas. Why not get ready for the month after--known to be the most depressing month of the year? Why not look forward to that time of extra time in bed ... extra negative thoughts ... extra time to think about where your life is going?

It should be no surprise that the leisure centres and exercise classes will all be full for the next couple of weeks as well. There's something to be said for the person who's realises that something is not right with the way he or she has been acting and does something to change that.

As a very young student I enjoying the act of writing any date after December at the top of my paper. From September through December, the end of the school year seemed so far away. January means that February is close, and then comes March ... the end is almost in sight!

I'm assuming of course that today's Lutheran university students have a much better perspective than all of the above. My offer still stands, of course, to help any Lutheran student within the UK to connect them to other Lutheran students--and to a (relatively) nearby Lutheran congregation. Hopefully we can all get through this next month together!

Labels: chaplains, ELCE, gathering, students

Lutheran UK Students gathered once again for a time of mutual encouragement and support. The group that gathered at Luther-Tyndale on 1 November was small, but all had a wonderful time. The group was led in Responsive Prayer by Revd Paul Landgraf, ELCE Student Chaplains’ Coordinator, and in bible study on Romans by Stephen Preus, a new Westfield House student. The group then went to lunch at Nando’s, and then on to the British Museum. The lunch and travel expenses to London were paid by a generous Ablaze (LCMS) grant. The group also discussed possible future events. If you are a Lutheran student within the UK, please ‘stay tuned’ for the details of future gatherings like this one!

Labels: Ablaze grant, ELCE, gathering London, students