Peace Talk - January 2011
Apostolic Mission Congregation of the LCMS Pastor Kristian Bjornstad 2506 N. Main Ave. 343-9828 www.yourpeace.org
FROM THE PASTOR’S HEART: 1Pet. 2:10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Welcome to 2011, dear friends in Jesus! In 2010 we spent the year here at Peace trying to spotlight and strengthen our families with our “Year of the Family”. What a year it was, if fact, for the growth of families here at Peace! We haven’t had so many babies and younger families here at Peace for many years! Praise the Lord! But now 2011 is here and I have been thinking and praying about how we should be moving ahead spiritually - without losing our dedication to our families and striving to strengthen them continually. Over the years the Rev. Matt Harrison (now the newly elected President of the LCMS) has been writing important essays on the biblical understanding and mandate of MERCY. These have been very exciting for me to read in the light of our ministry here at Peace Lutheran. I see time after time how the children of God in this congregation have shown tremendous MERCY to each other and to others in the community. It is so heart warming and a fabulous confirmation that our God is alive and active in our hearts and that he has not abandoned us to our sin, rebellion and hardness of heart. So join me, will you not? Join me in 2011 in an even greater celebration of the truth that you and I have received such abundant and undeserved MERCY from God - and that we indeed have the blessing of sharing that same MERCY with others in every kind of need! Join me in the “Year of God’s Mercy” here at Peace! Pastor Bjornstad
NEW Sunday Morning Bible Study beginning Jan. 16 at 9:30 am: Christianity and the Competition DVD with Dr. Paul Maier The world horizon is
littered with competing religions and philosophies. Which has it right? In our multicultural age, should we insist on the TRUTH of Christianity? Dr. Maier looks at sacred sources (Biblical documents that are reliable and essentially unchanged over time) and secular sources. A look at Eastern religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Confusianism, Shinto, Tao, Judaism, Baha'i, Islam, etc.) and also Western religions (Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Scientology, etc.) in comparison to Christianity.