If you’d like to know what the internet “says” about you, Google yourself. Go to Google and enter in your first and last name in quotes. Then read what others might be reading about you. And now with things like The Wayback Machine, this content is permanent (or at least as long as the internet exists as we know it).

So what have you already etched on the internet about yourself? As Christians, this is an important question as we consider Jesus’ call to let our lights shine. If you are going to put your stamp on the internet, shouldn’t it be a good representation of who you are in Christ? The answers are obvious, but I think sometimes we don’t apply that in our online lives. I’ve seen many people I know who are Christians, but wouldn’t know it by their online persona. Sad. Just because we are online, where we think we can be semi-anonymous, doesn’t mean we aren’t Christ’s ambassadors and sending messages about what’s important to us.

So the next time you put finger to keyboard while online don’t check your faith at the door…etch it on the internet.

How do you find a balance when world missionaries see themselves as sacrificing in living apart from the comforts and conveniences of the U.S. (and they do) while the national Christians they serve perceive them as still living in luxury by comparison to themselves? How do you help others without creating a dependency that keeps them from helping themselves? How can you call someone a brother in another culture when to them that means you’re a part of their family and therefore should be willing to share all your worldly goods with them? How do you convince WELS Christians who see themselves as poor while comparing themselves to the wealthier in our society that they are actually very rich compared to most of the world’s population and most of the those living in the rest of history? These were the types of questions and issues discussed at the World Mission Conference that was held at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary from July 28 to August 1.

Approximately 45 participants, missionaries, administrators and observers, were on hand to hear presentations that dealt with the conference theme (more…)

WELS’ Web site, www.wels.net, provides many avenues for good Christian reading, as does the essay file at the Web site of our Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. What Christian literature have you found interesting and helpful and would recommend to others?

Note: Suggestions above are personal and not necessarily those of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. For WELS Christian literature visit www.nph.net or www.wels.net.

Independence Day is a very special national holiday in the United States. On this day we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.

As Christians in America we can also celebrate our right to proclaim the basic freedom we enjoy in Jesus. This is the greatest freedom of all: the freedom from sin’s ultimate curse. Paul says “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

(Ephesians 1:7).