LHF Reaches Out With God's Word

Please pray for Okach Opiew and his family...

Okach Omot Opiew lives with his wife and young children in the Dadaab Refugee Camp, located in Kenya near the Somalia border. Dadaab recently made U.S. headlines when members of Al Shabaab (al Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia) opened fire on non-Muslims living in the camp.

“Life here is very dangerous, especially for Christians, because Dadaab is dominated by Muslims,” he says. “Christians are not allowed to live as Christians."

Yet it is in this setting that Okach perseveres in his work of translating Luther’s Small Catechism into the Anyuak language. Click here to read more about life in the camp and Okach's translation work.

Please pray for Sunday school teachers in Southeast Asia...

In Buddhist Southeast Asia, most Christians are first-generation. They know that teaching children and youth about Jesus is important, but many teachers simply don't know how, because they've never experienced Sunday school themselves.

Now, LHF has developed a Sunday school curriculum to help. Read more.

Please pray for families in Somalia...

Somalia is often called “the country most hostile to the Gospel” – a seemingly impossible mission. In the militantly Muslim country of Somalia, threats to physical safety are so great that only 0.01% of the population dare to call themselves Christian.

Now, American children are helping to share the Good News with their Somali brothers and sisters in Christ. Read how.

 

Please pray for future pastors in Sudan and South Sudan...

The vicars have returned for their final year of studies at the Concordia Lutheran Institute for the Holy Ministry! Please keep the students, their families, and their teachers in your prayers, that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sudan/South Sudan may grow!  Related story

Christian brothers and sisters need our help.

Every day, the Lutheran Heritage Foundation receives more requests for good Lutheran books and materials than we can possibly answer. Can you help?

Just $5 - that's all it takes to provide a book like Luther's Small Catechism or A Child's Garden of Bible Stories to someone waiting to learn more about their Savior and ours, Jesus Christ. Click here to direct your support to Lutherans like Okach in Kenya, Peter in South Sudan, or Boom in Thailand.

Take a Look at Your Neighborhood

Take a Look at Your Neighborhood

Thoughts from Rev. Mark Schudde,

Concordia, Conover NC

Have you ever noticed your neighbor's house? Maybe it's the one that is always neatly decorated for Christmas. Perhaps it's the one with the yard that hasn't been raked free of leaves. Could it be the one where there is a basketball hoop on the driveway, or the one where the newspapers pile up, indicating that they aren't home or can't make the walk down the driveway?

The Christmas season, (and truthfully, every moment afterward) is a time to take notice of your neighbors. The Shepherds did just that on the first Christmas. How many doors did they bang on, or how many stables did they peer into before finding baby Jesus? While we don't know the answer, we do know that when they left the stable, they made known to all what they had heard and seen concerning this child (Luke 2:17). Did they bang on a few doors with the Good News?

People seem more accepting of that occasional knock at the door during the month of December. Maybe it's carolers? Could it be a friend or neighbor bringing by the famous Fruit Cake? All of these moments provide the opportunity to practice what is called the Art of Neighboring. Can we find opportunities like this to visit a neighbor in other seasons?

It's not about becoming more "neighborly" to one another, but rather that each one might become more aware of the neighbors that God has placed around you. See what Acts 17 says about your neighbors, and why God has you living where you do. He (God) determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that people would seek him. (Acts 17:26-27)

God has placed you in your neighborhood. He determined the specific location on your street. He chose those who would be your neighbors. So take notice of your neighbors!

Make an opportunity to drop off a little treat or note. Practice a random act of neighboring. Go out of your way to say hello and remember them, always, in prayer.

At iNeighborhood.org, you will find resources to encourage you learn the "art of neighboring." Check them out and share your stories!

Tell Everyone What He Has Done

Wednesday after Pentecost 20
October 21, 2009

The Lord be with you

A few months back I put together a faith-sharing resource for Lamb of God Lutheran (LCMS) titled “Tell Everyone What He Has Done!” The function of this pamphlet is to supplement any witnessing program/outline/effort/etc. that an individual or congregation might be using. It is not a witnessing outline. The pamphlet contains quotes from the liturgy, hymns, confessions and Martin Luther which can be used to underscore and support a point being made by the person sharing their faith. These quotes are arranged by topic. I shared it with the members of the Districts Ablaze Task Force and the Task Force decided to share it with all who are interested. Therefore it can now be downloaded as a pdf file from the SEDCongregationsAblaze site. In my personal witnessing to the faith I have found it quite powerful to be able to quote a hymn verse, etc, as it communicates powerfully that the message is not just mine.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert

Luther thought you could share the Gospel with song

Monday after Pentecost 7
July 27, 2009

The Lord be with you

I subscribe to the blog SEDCongregationsAblaze. On it I found an excellent short devotion by Vicar Jim Driskell of First John’s Lutheran in York, PA. It seems that I’m not the only one who thinks our hymns are an excellent tool for sharing the Gospel. Martin Luther had the same idea. Vicar Driskell quotes the great reformer,

“To be silent about God’s grace in Jesus Christ is no longer an option for the Christian. For believers to refuse to sing and speak about their faith …”

Check out the quote in the devotion and then review some of the quotes in the booklet I made and handed out at church, “Tell Ev’ry One What He Has Done.”

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert