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Today it was revealed that the Synod cancelled Issues Etc. No reason has been given, and Pastor Tod Wilken and Producer Jeff Schwarz were dismissed.
More to follow.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Who You Believe...
This the song, Who You Believe, that was featured on our Show from January 13 2008. A big thanks to Ryan Parker for giving us permission to use the song.
www.ryanparkersongs.com
www.ryanparkersongs.com
Thursday, December 20, 2007
An interview with a Pastor...
Last Saturday Pastor Gary was interviewed by Matthew Bronson, who besides having a show from 9am to 1pm on Saturdays is the General Manager of AM 920 WMEL. He Sent me a clip of the video portion of the show and we thought everyone would like to see it.
Comments please. Be nice! :)
Comments please. Be nice! :)
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
GraceNotes from all over...
I've been looking around the internet, getting back in a "Tear down the High Places" state of mind due to some recent events (both personal and global). I'm finding it both amazing and disheartening that people so easily fall from the grace of God. Matthew Murray seems to have had quite a problem with Pentacostalism, and like many of the issues and stories I've alluded to in a few broadcasts, he allegedly posted of some issues not unlike those I've witnessed in Pentacostalism...
The author describes going with his mother to a conference at New Life. The poster said he “got into a debate” with two prayer team staff members, who monitored him then tracked down his mother and “told her a story that went something along the lines of I ‘wasn’t walking with the lord and could be planning violence.’”
If I had a dime for every time I heard I wasn't "walking with the Lord" because of something I had done in church, I could buy and sell Paul Crouch, Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland Combined. I can't say for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if there is a dirth of Gospel preaching at New Life Church.
Speaking of Brother Copeland, here's a report from last march I hadn't seen, but am not surprised about at all...
On the Episcopal Church and it's woes, I ran into this report on Trinity Episcopal church in Vero Beach, who may split with the National Episcopal Church...
The Episcopal Church nationally has a "culture the Holy Spirit cannot honor," Rev. Lorne Coyle said. "It is losing members."
Dennis Lindberg, a 14 year old Jehovah's witness and suffering from Lukemia, Died after refusing a transfusion that would have saved his life. What's different about this one than any other story you've heard like this before? His Parents wanted him to get the transfusions, but a judge deemed the boy was old enough to understand that refusing the treatment "could amount to a death sentence".
I'm still reading "The Everlasting Angel and the Mountain of Fire". I need a breath of fresh air and happily this does the trick. See everyone on the Radio this Sunday!
The author describes going with his mother to a conference at New Life. The poster said he “got into a debate” with two prayer team staff members, who monitored him then tracked down his mother and “told her a story that went something along the lines of I ‘wasn’t walking with the lord and could be planning violence.’”
If I had a dime for every time I heard I wasn't "walking with the Lord" because of something I had done in church, I could buy and sell Paul Crouch, Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland Combined. I can't say for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if there is a dirth of Gospel preaching at New Life Church.
Speaking of Brother Copeland, here's a report from last march I hadn't seen, but am not surprised about at all...
On the Episcopal Church and it's woes, I ran into this report on Trinity Episcopal church in Vero Beach, who may split with the National Episcopal Church...
The Episcopal Church nationally has a "culture the Holy Spirit cannot honor," Rev. Lorne Coyle said. "It is losing members."
Dennis Lindberg, a 14 year old Jehovah's witness and suffering from Lukemia, Died after refusing a transfusion that would have saved his life. What's different about this one than any other story you've heard like this before? His Parents wanted him to get the transfusions, but a judge deemed the boy was old enough to understand that refusing the treatment "could amount to a death sentence".
I'm still reading "The Everlasting Angel and the Mountain of Fire". I need a breath of fresh air and happily this does the trick. See everyone on the Radio this Sunday!
Monday, December 10, 2007
The Angel of the Lord Revealed
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." (NIV)
Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son Isaac is depicted in this painting by Jacob Jordaens. Abraham violently brings down the knife, intending to strike the killing blow, when he suddenly is stopped by the mysterious Angel of the Lord. The Angel of the Lord not only tells Abraham not to lay a hand on the boy, but provides for him the alternative sacrifice of the ram caught by his horns in the thicket.
Who is this Angel of the Lord? In our most recent episode of Radical Grace/The Lutheran Difference, Matt Pancake, Bob MacLellan, Troy Curtis, and myself spend the first half-hour interviewing Rev. Peter Kurowski, author of the new book, The Everlasting Angel and the Mountains of Fire. This is a fictional and theological retelling of the appearances of the Angel of the Lord to Abraham and to Jacob, and is filled with fascinating insights.
Interviewing an author on our show was a first for us, and we hope once you've listened to the interview you'll agree that Peter Kurowski will one day, perhaps soon, be the newest top-selling author in Christian fiction. But there was another first for us in this episode, and I feel I ought to bring it up.
We offered Pastor Kurowski's book as a thank you gift to anyone sending a donation to support the show in the amount of $50 or more. Up to this point, we've not come out and asked for your support. But we realize many people now to look to this ministry to deliver a fresh perspective on theological questions, while showcasing what the difference is and why it matters. Some of you not only enjoy listening for your own benefit, but you also share the podcasts as a way of witnessing to others. Thank you. That's exactly what we'd hoped would happen.
We extend to you also the invitation to become a partner with us by helping support the show. More information will be coming about ways you can help, but in the meantime, making a one-time donation of $50 or more would be a real blessing. And for your support, whether you're supporting us from Spain or Australia, or here in the States in Phoenix or Kalamazoo or St. Louis, we will also rush a book to you. It's a great book, and it's a great way for us to show our appreciation.
You can make a donation check payable to Risen Savior Lutheran Church, put "Radical Grace" in the memo line and mail it to:
Risen Savior Lutheran Church
2220 Port Malabar Blvd., NE
Palm Bay, FL 32905
More great episodes are going to start coming even more frequently. Keep listening!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Where did the host go wrong?
Our very first live broadcast is in the can, it's up to listen to... And the host (yours truly) made a gaff at the beginning. It's not a slip of the tongue, or a stumble over words. I forgot something important.
Leave a comment and say what you think I did wrong.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Questions...
What connects with listeners? What will entice them to listen long enough to really consider the message? How should one express the Gospel so it comes across as both: astonishing and penetrating, exhilarating and disturbing?
These are the kinds of questions we at The Lutheran Difference ask ourselves. We ask for two reasons: 1. It would be satisfying to finally understand why one episode takes off and another lags behind, why one becomes an overnight hit, and another starts slow and mostly stays slow. And then, 2. If it ever became obvious to us what recipe always guaranteed a great show, we’d strive to hit the same marks every time.
A few of you out there have sent us private emails letting us know what you think, and we’ve responded to all the emails sent so far. If you’re one of those who’ve taken the time to dialog with us a bit, then you know we’re still trying to figure many of the basics. Nevertheless, despite the fact that we’re still in the beginning stages of this podcast ministry, as of today over 2700 shows have been downloaded. We think that’s pretty good, considering most folks didn’t become aware of the show until September. (Yes, there’s a few who’ve been listening since mid-July, and you know who you are. God bless you.)
So far, all this has merely been a preface, setting up for what I really want to say: IMHO, the episode that just went up, episode 12, is going to be the topical episode that quickly becomes the most important and most popular show in the archives. Our topic is very personal, because when you touch on a person’s salvation and assurance and doubts, you’re getting very personal. The title of the show is in the form of a question: Am I really a Christian?
Am I really a Christian? How can I know for sure I’m saved? Or how can I help my brother in Christ get past his doubts? These are not hypothetical or theoretical questions. These are questions that many people agonize over. Any answer that merely tries to explain salvation in abstract terms is not going to help anyone move from doubt to faith that finds joy in the Lord, the Rock of our salvation.
Who will this episode help? Everyone. Because so often the way to get past a confusing question is not to search for answers, but to reconsider whether the right question is even being asked in the first place. In other words, so often we can be a tremendous help by simply reframing the question. Just as a part of our minds are prone to read the Scriptures through lenses colored with legalism, so also we wrestle with questions which (unthinkingly) have assumed a confusion of Law and Gospel from the beginning. If the way a question is being considered is predicated on confusing Law and Gospel, we do a great service by reframing the question so it now properly distinguishes them.
Doing the episode and reflecting on it, we also believe we can now answer our original question, What connects with listeners? A message connects when it addresses an important question that touches on the heart as well as the mind.
Hope you enjoy the episode, and even more, we hope you get the opportunity to help someone who is stuck in some doubts.
These are the kinds of questions we at The Lutheran Difference ask ourselves. We ask for two reasons: 1. It would be satisfying to finally understand why one episode takes off and another lags behind, why one becomes an overnight hit, and another starts slow and mostly stays slow. And then, 2. If it ever became obvious to us what recipe always guaranteed a great show, we’d strive to hit the same marks every time.
A few of you out there have sent us private emails letting us know what you think, and we’ve responded to all the emails sent so far. If you’re one of those who’ve taken the time to dialog with us a bit, then you know we’re still trying to figure many of the basics. Nevertheless, despite the fact that we’re still in the beginning stages of this podcast ministry, as of today over 2700 shows have been downloaded. We think that’s pretty good, considering most folks didn’t become aware of the show until September. (Yes, there’s a few who’ve been listening since mid-July, and you know who you are. God bless you.)
So far, all this has merely been a preface, setting up for what I really want to say: IMHO, the episode that just went up, episode 12, is going to be the topical episode that quickly becomes the most important and most popular show in the archives. Our topic is very personal, because when you touch on a person’s salvation and assurance and doubts, you’re getting very personal. The title of the show is in the form of a question: Am I really a Christian?
Am I really a Christian? How can I know for sure I’m saved? Or how can I help my brother in Christ get past his doubts? These are not hypothetical or theoretical questions. These are questions that many people agonize over. Any answer that merely tries to explain salvation in abstract terms is not going to help anyone move from doubt to faith that finds joy in the Lord, the Rock of our salvation.
Who will this episode help? Everyone. Because so often the way to get past a confusing question is not to search for answers, but to reconsider whether the right question is even being asked in the first place. In other words, so often we can be a tremendous help by simply reframing the question. Just as a part of our minds are prone to read the Scriptures through lenses colored with legalism, so also we wrestle with questions which (unthinkingly) have assumed a confusion of Law and Gospel from the beginning. If the way a question is being considered is predicated on confusing Law and Gospel, we do a great service by reframing the question so it now properly distinguishes them.
Doing the episode and reflecting on it, we also believe we can now answer our original question, What connects with listeners? A message connects when it addresses an important question that touches on the heart as well as the mind.
Hope you enjoy the episode, and even more, we hope you get the opportunity to help someone who is stuck in some doubts.
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