Monthly Archives: November 2009


On Saturday morning (November 14, 2009), I and about 300 other people gathered for a special assembly[1] of the New Jersey Synod. [2]  According to the “rules”, the sole item on our agenda was the Synod’s 2010 spending plan – what most people know as a budget.  But, whatever the […]

Discipleship and Budgets


 A child is raped, and witnesses either ignore it or cheer.[1]  People are beaten and murdered because of their race or perceived immigration status, and the victims are too afraid to seek help.[2]  A disgruntled man opens fire on former colleagues at their workplace.[3]  A mentally ill physician murders 13 […]

Anticipating Christ the King


In 2007, the Barna Group published a study of perceptions of Christianity among 16- to 29-year-old Americans.[1]  They found that among young non-Christians, 87% perceive Christianity as judgmental, and 85% as hypocritical.  Even among young Christians, about half agreed that Christianity is judgmental and hypocritical.[2]  The researchers found that one […]

Where’s Jesus?



 By Luann Albanese  When I first started discovering who God was, as a child, I was terrified because I was taught that I had to behave a certain way or do certain things in order for God to love me and allow me into heaven with Him when my time […]

Surprised by Grace