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ed ifi uc Cr 2013 Higher Things Conferences
Retrospective Issue! • Scars Forever • Are You Ready for a Miracle? • Coming Down from the Mountaintop •
Rock Star Pastors? F A L L
2 0 1 3 _
higherthings
. o r g / FA L L / 2013
1
Getting Around the NEW Higher Things E-Magazine PDF
Click any article title to go to that article. Click the center of any page to return to the table of contents. Tap links and email addresses to open those in your browser or mail client.
Join your LCMS friends!
Contents T A B L E O F
Be a voiCe … for
LiFe!
Volume 13/Number 3 • Fall 2013
Special Features
4 Rock Star Pastors?
By Rev. George C. Borghardt Describe your pastor in one or two words…Go! Geek. Rock Star. Grumpy. How about…shepherd? In fact, a shepherd is the perfect description of your pastor, as Rev. Borghardt explains. And even though your pastor may have either geeky or rock star qualities, what makes him someone you should want to be around is that He is Christ’s representative for you, here to faithfully remind you of the sweetness of the Gospel through Word and Sacrament.
6 Coming Down from the Mountaintop
•
By Jon Kohlmeier From the highest peaks to the lowest valleys, life can be a harrowing journey, but very often, it is simply middle-ofthe-road ordinary. And it’s at those times when the really important things—Baptism, Absolution, the Lord’s Supper, ground us and grant us strength for the next mountain or valley.
2014 National March for Life
8 Higher Things from a Youth’s Perspective
Washington, D.C. Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014
By Jared Timm Thinking about attending a Higher Things conference? Find out what it’s like for your average, everyday teen. Jared makes a pitch that just might persuade you to attend Crucified 2014 next summer!
2014 Divine Service
Alexandria, Va. Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014
• •
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 2
10 From Above Retrospective!
Enjoy four pages of fun-filled photos and enthusiastic quotes from our three From Above conferences.
23 Scars Forever
2014 Walk for Life West Coast
By Rev. Michael Schmidt Everyone has a scar somewhere. All you have to do is look at it or touch it and it will bring back all of the memories associated with getting it. Sometimes the worst scars are the ones that God uses to restore us. Rev. Schmidt reminds us that there is no better example of that than the scars of Jesus: His hands, feet and side—all of which will forever remind us of how precious we are to Him.
San Francisco, Calif. Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014
2015 LCMS Life Conference
Washington, D.C. January 2015, following the National March for Life
14 Christ on Campus Higher Things Through the Eyes of a CCV By Alayna Brandt Upon completing her first adventure as a College Conference Volunteer, Alayna was compelled to share her experience in the hopes of encouraging others to do likewise.
20 Youth Ministry Are You Ready for a Miracle?
By Sandra Ostapowich This is the inaugural article of our new regular feature dedicated to helping and encouraging youth leaders. Sandra makes the case that Lutheran youth crave the richness and depth that the traditional liturgy offers, as opposed to the latest, greatest cultural offerings.
28 Catechism The Table of Duties: Husbands and Wives By Rev. William M. Cwirla Rev. Cwirla expands on the occasionally used analogy of a dance to explain the role of husbands and wives in light of the Table of Duties, making it crystal clear how this union is a reflects that of Christ and His bride, the Church, and how that plays out in everyday lives.
30 Bible Study “Rock Star Pastors?”
Be sure to check out this sample of one of our student Bible studies that links up with Rev. Borghardt’s article on P. 4.
®
Volume 13/Number 3/Fall 2013
Bible Studies for these articles can be found at: higherthings.org/ magazine/biblestudies.html Editor
Katie Hill Art Director
Steve Blakey Editorial Associates
Rev. Greg Alms Rev. Paul Beisel Rev. Bart Day Copy Editors
Lu Fischer Dana Niemi Bible Study Authors
Rev. Mark Buetow Rev. Sam Schuldheisz Rev. John Drosendahl Subscriptions Manager
Elizabeth Carlson IT Assistant
Jon Kohlmeier ___________
Board of Directors President
Rev. George Borghardt Vice-President
Rev. Dr. Carl Fickenscher Treasurer
Chris Loemker Secretary
Rev. Joel Fritsche Rev. William M. Cwirla Rev. Brent Kuhlman Sue Pellegrini Matt Phillips Chris Rosebrough ___________
Executive Council Deputy Executive/Media
Rev. Mark Buetow Conference and Retreats Executive
Sandra Ostapowich Business Executive
Connie Brammeier Technology Executive
Stan Lemon
Learn more at www.lcms.org/lifeconference
a www.lcms.org/life
www.facebook.com/LCMSLife
Life Ministry
Regular Features
HigherThings
#LCMSLife
Higher Things® Magazine ISSN 1539-8455 is published quarterly by Higher Things, Inc., PO Box 156, Sheridan, WY 82801. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the executive editor of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2013. Higher Things® and Christ on Campus® are registered trademarks of Higher Things Inc.; All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at St. Louis, Missouri. For subscription information and questions, call 1-888-448-2359 or e-mail subscriptions@higherthings.org. (This phone number is only used for subscription queries.) For letters to the editor, write letters@higher things.org. Writers may submit manuscripts to: submissions@ higherthings.org. Please check higherthings.org/magazine/ writers.html for writers’ guidelines and theme lists.
F A L L 2 0 1 3 _ 3
Getting Around the NEW Higher Things E-Magazine PDF
Click any article title to go to that article. Click the center of any page to return to the table of contents. Tap links and email addresses to open those in your browser or mail client.
Join your LCMS friends!
Contents T A B L E O F
Be a voiCe … for
LiFe!
Volume 13/Number 3 • Fall 2013
Special Features
4 Rock Star Pastors?
By Rev. George C. Borghardt Describe your pastor in one or two words…Go! Geek. Rock Star. Grumpy. How about…shepherd? In fact, a shepherd is the perfect description of your pastor, as Rev. Borghardt explains. And even though your pastor may have either geeky or rock star qualities, what makes him someone you should want to be around is that He is Christ’s representative for you, here to faithfully remind you of the sweetness of the Gospel through Word and Sacrament.
6 Coming Down from the Mountaintop
•
By Jon Kohlmeier From the highest peaks to the lowest valleys, life can be a harrowing journey, but very often, it is simply middle-ofthe-road ordinary. And it’s at those times when the really important things—Baptism, Absolution, the Lord’s Supper, ground us and grant us strength for the next mountain or valley.
2014 National March for Life
8 Higher Things from a Youth’s Perspective
Washington, D.C. Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014
By Jared Timm Thinking about attending a Higher Things conference? Find out what it’s like for your average, everyday teen. Jared makes a pitch that just might persuade you to attend Crucified 2014 next summer!
2014 Divine Service
Alexandria, Va. Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014
• •
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 2
10 From Above Retrospective!
Enjoy four pages of fun-filled photos and enthusiastic quotes from our three From Above conferences.
23 Scars Forever
2014 Walk for Life West Coast
By Rev. Michael Schmidt Everyone has a scar somewhere. All you have to do is look at it or touch it and it will bring back all of the memories associated with getting it. Sometimes the worst scars are the ones that God uses to restore us. Rev. Schmidt reminds us that there is no better example of that than the scars of Jesus: His hands, feet and side—all of which will forever remind us of how precious we are to Him.
San Francisco, Calif. Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014
2015 LCMS Life Conference
Washington, D.C. January 2015, following the National March for Life
14 Christ on Campus Higher Things Through the Eyes of a CCV By Alayna Brandt Upon completing her first adventure as a College Conference Volunteer, Alayna was compelled to share her experience in the hopes of encouraging others to do likewise.
20 Youth Ministry Are You Ready for a Miracle?
By Sandra Ostapowich This is the inaugural article of our new regular feature dedicated to helping and encouraging youth leaders. Sandra makes the case that Lutheran youth crave the richness and depth that the traditional liturgy offers, as opposed to the latest, greatest cultural offerings.
28 Catechism The Table of Duties: Husbands and Wives By Rev. William M. Cwirla Rev. Cwirla expands on the occasionally used analogy of a dance to explain the role of husbands and wives in light of the Table of Duties, making it crystal clear how this union is a reflects that of Christ and His bride, the Church, and how that plays out in everyday lives.
30 Bible Study “Rock Star Pastors?”
Be sure to check out this sample of one of our student Bible studies that links up with Rev. Borghardt’s article on P. 4.
®
Volume 13/Number 3/Fall 2013
Bible Studies for these articles can be found at: higherthings.org/ magazine/biblestudies.html Editor
Katie Hill Art Director
Steve Blakey Editorial Associates
Rev. Greg Alms Rev. Paul Beisel Rev. Bart Day Copy Editors
Lu Fischer Dana Niemi Bible Study Authors
Rev. Mark Buetow Rev. Sam Schuldheisz Rev. John Drosendahl Subscriptions Manager
Elizabeth Carlson IT Assistant
Jon Kohlmeier ___________
Board of Directors President
Rev. George Borghardt Vice-President
Rev. Dr. Carl Fickenscher Treasurer
Chris Loemker Secretary
Rev. Joel Fritsche Rev. William M. Cwirla Rev. Brent Kuhlman Sue Pellegrini Matt Phillips Chris Rosebrough ___________
Executive Council Deputy Executive/Media
Rev. Mark Buetow Conference and Retreats Executive
Sandra Ostapowich Business Executive
Connie Brammeier Technology Executive
Stan Lemon
Learn more at www.lcms.org/lifeconference
a www.lcms.org/life
www.facebook.com/LCMSLife
Life Ministry
Regular Features
HigherThings
#LCMSLife
Higher Things® Magazine ISSN 1539-8455 is published quarterly by Higher Things, Inc., PO Box 156, Sheridan, WY 82801. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the executive editor of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2013. Higher Things® and Christ on Campus® are registered trademarks of Higher Things Inc.; All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at St. Louis, Missouri. For subscription information and questions, call 1-888-448-2359 or e-mail subscriptions@higherthings.org. (This phone number is only used for subscription queries.) For letters to the editor, write letters@higher things.org. Writers may submit manuscripts to: submissions@ higherthings.org. Please check higherthings.org/magazine/ writers.html for writers’ guidelines and theme lists.
F A L L 2 0 1 3 _ 3
?
T H I N G S __ 4
F. Borgh a
George
Pastors
By Rev.
H I G H E R
Star
rdt
Rock
T
here’s really nothing too cool about him. Geeky would be more like it. Your pastor is probably geeky. You can tell by all the books. Did he really read them all in seminary, or does he just keep them around to look smart?
He has no sense of style. Yes, the black shows that he is a sinner and the white on his neck says that he speaks the Word of Gospel. But the same outfit every day? And when he doesn’t wear his “uniform,” he looks like he’s stuck in some past decade. Stonewashed jeans? No one wears tube socks any more, Pastor. That’s so 1990s! He talks funny and observes all of these strange customs, doesn’t he? I had never eaten a brat or seen a real live cheesehead before my pastor was called to Louisiana. Wisconsin? That’s, like, next to Canada! How did anyone from so far north end up so far south? The Lord Jesus. He did it. The Lord called your pastor to your church. He called my pastor to our church back in Louisiana. He called me from Louisiana to Illinois. Jesus calls pastors to go all over the place to forgive and retain sins, and to preach repentance unto the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name. “Pastor” is the Latin word for “shepherd.” That’s what your pastor is: He is a shepherd. He tends to sheep. He feeds the Lord’s sheep and takes care of you with the Word and Sacraments. That’s why it so often sounds like your pastor is preaching directly to you! He doesn’t have a camera in your house. He knows just the right thing to say because when he preaches the Word, Christ is speaking to you (Luke 10:16). When he teaches you, Christ is teaching you. Christ is retaining your evil. Christ is forgiving your sins. Christ is saving you. Your pastor is not Christ. He’s the Lord’s servant, Christ’s ambassador, pleading with you over and over again to be reconciled to God. He represents Christ to you. The respect and love you show the pastors around you is the respect you have for Jesus. Be kind to them and you are being kind to the Lord who sent them. Reject them, make their life hard, be burdensome to them and you are being burdensome to the Lord who called them to you.
There’s nothing inherently special about your pastor. He’s not a rock star. He is a regular person. He eats. He sleeps. He might even snore at the lock-in. He gets grumpy at times. Actually, some pastors are grumpy all the time! But he would be a great person to treat like a rock star, for you can have no better fatherfigure, no better friend who will never fail you, no better person to vent to than your pastor. All of that is in the job description of “shepherd.” Everything your pastor does, from the time he wakes up until he goes to sleep, is to deliver Jesus Christ and Him crucified to you. You see Christ’s life in his life as he teaches, visits shutins and the sick, and hangs out with the youth. It’s all about Jesus and loving others. Yes, your pastor’s going to call you out for your sins. You aren’t always right. Other people aren’t always wrong. Sometimes, it’s your fault. If you are honest with God, it’s almost always your sin. He’s going to say one other word of God to you. “In the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins.” All your sins are forgiven! He’s definitely strange. He’s not well dressed. He’s most likely an actual geek. He might even have an accent and not talk right. But, the Lord called him to where you are to be your pastor. He’s the Lord’s shepherd for you. Having a pastor to look up to is better than having a friend. It’s better than having a BFF or “bestie” or a mentor. Your pastor is there to give you Jesus’ salvation that will last forever. He’s there to give you Jesus. He’s there to be your shepherd—your pastor. Rev. George F. Borghardt is the president of Higher Things and serves as the senior pastor at Zion Ev. Lutheran Church in McHenry, Illinois.
F A L L 2 0 1 3 _ 5
?
T H I N G S __ 4
F. Borgh a
George
Pastors
By Rev.
H I G H E R
Star
rdt
Rock
T
here’s really nothing too cool about him. Geeky would be more like it. Your pastor is probably geeky. You can tell by all the books. Did he really read them all in seminary, or does he just keep them around to look smart?
He has no sense of style. Yes, the black shows that he is a sinner and the white on his neck says that he speaks the Word of Gospel. But the same outfit every day? And when he doesn’t wear his “uniform,” he looks like he’s stuck in some past decade. Stonewashed jeans? No one wears tube socks any more, Pastor. That’s so 1990s! He talks funny and observes all of these strange customs, doesn’t he? I had never eaten a brat or seen a real live cheesehead before my pastor was called to Louisiana. Wisconsin? That’s, like, next to Canada! How did anyone from so far north end up so far south? The Lord Jesus. He did it. The Lord called your pastor to your church. He called my pastor to our church back in Louisiana. He called me from Louisiana to Illinois. Jesus calls pastors to go all over the place to forgive and retain sins, and to preach repentance unto the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name. “Pastor” is the Latin word for “shepherd.” That’s what your pastor is: He is a shepherd. He tends to sheep. He feeds the Lord’s sheep and takes care of you with the Word and Sacraments. That’s why it so often sounds like your pastor is preaching directly to you! He doesn’t have a camera in your house. He knows just the right thing to say because when he preaches the Word, Christ is speaking to you (Luke 10:16). When he teaches you, Christ is teaching you. Christ is retaining your evil. Christ is forgiving your sins. Christ is saving you. Your pastor is not Christ. He’s the Lord’s servant, Christ’s ambassador, pleading with you over and over again to be reconciled to God. He represents Christ to you. The respect and love you show the pastors around you is the respect you have for Jesus. Be kind to them and you are being kind to the Lord who sent them. Reject them, make their life hard, be burdensome to them and you are being burdensome to the Lord who called them to you.
There’s nothing inherently special about your pastor. He’s not a rock star. He is a regular person. He eats. He sleeps. He might even snore at the lock-in. He gets grumpy at times. Actually, some pastors are grumpy all the time! But he would be a great person to treat like a rock star, for you can have no better fatherfigure, no better friend who will never fail you, no better person to vent to than your pastor. All of that is in the job description of “shepherd.” Everything your pastor does, from the time he wakes up until he goes to sleep, is to deliver Jesus Christ and Him crucified to you. You see Christ’s life in his life as he teaches, visits shutins and the sick, and hangs out with the youth. It’s all about Jesus and loving others. Yes, your pastor’s going to call you out for your sins. You aren’t always right. Other people aren’t always wrong. Sometimes, it’s your fault. If you are honest with God, it’s almost always your sin. He’s going to say one other word of God to you. “In the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive you all your sins.” All your sins are forgiven! He’s definitely strange. He’s not well dressed. He’s most likely an actual geek. He might even have an accent and not talk right. But, the Lord called him to where you are to be your pastor. He’s the Lord’s shepherd for you. Having a pastor to look up to is better than having a friend. It’s better than having a BFF or “bestie” or a mentor. Your pastor is there to give you Jesus’ salvation that will last forever. He’s there to give you Jesus. He’s there to be your shepherd—your pastor. Rev. George F. Borghardt is the president of Higher Things and serves as the senior pastor at Zion Ev. Lutheran Church in McHenry, Illinois.
F A L L 2 0 1 3 _ 5
HigherThings From a Youth’s Perspective By Jared Timm
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 8
My name is Jared Timm. I’m a fourteen-year-old boy from central Minnesota. You are
most likely used to going to church every Sunday (especially if you’re a pastor’s kid, like me) and worshiping with 150 or 200 other members, most of whom are 30, 40, or even 50 years older than you. It may be hard to imagine there are others like you. At the Higher Things conference “From Above,” there were more than 1,300 Lutherans about my age gathered together to worship the Triune God. We gathered in a theatre where, when the organ played, it filled all of the space. That’s quite a bit different than my regular church service, where about 150 members attend each Sunday to hear the same service preached by my dad, Pastor Bruce Timm. At the conference there were almost ten times that number of people all gathered together and partaking of the service. It was incredible!
Let me tell you what goes on at a Higher Things conference. Besides worship, this gathering of young Lutherans and youth leaders from all over the country, some even from Canada, includes “breakaway” sessions, where you can learn about pretty much anything that deals with faith, or the Church itself. There are three church services a day, six “break-away” sessions where you learn so much, and one plenary session a day, which is teaching that all of the conference attendees take part in. If you’re worried about how long the sermons must be to get the point across to almost 1,400 young adults, don’t be. The sermons are short, but are probably the best that I have ever heard. It’s all pretty jam-packed with Jesus. During the conference I went to sessions on homosexuality, Roman Catholicism, the Augsburg Confession, and others. Pastors from all over the country taught these, and I was really impressed. Take the breakaway on Catholicism for instance. I thought we were only different because Catholics sold indulgences and had to do good works to get to heaven. But thanks to Pastor Kuhlman, I learned that each time the priests perform “Mass” they are sacrificing Jesus back to God, because apparently, once wasn’t enough. And thanks to Pastor Fisk, who’s pretty much a Lutheran rock star, I learned about the Augsburg Confession and why it was just restating what the early church fathers believed and why it is worth dying for. I learned all that in one hour! Probably my favorite session was by Pastor Cwirla. He taught us about how faith and science go together. He told us that God gave us reason, which we use to think and figure things out, but he also told us that there is a certain point where faith takes over, and reason needs to go away for a bit. In the session on homosexuality by Pastor Buetow, I heard about one of the major issues in our culture today. I learned that when Jesus died for all sinners, that included homosexuals. He explained how the root of homosexuality is lust. We can’t condemn them just because what they are doing is a sin, without understanding that we, as sinners, deserve the same condemnation.“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11-12). After hearing these words, it opened my eyes to the fact that we are all sinners, and Jesus died for all of us. If you think that all of this sounds pretty cool, then you should definitely talk to your pastor and youth leaders about coming to the next conference, because there is no other place where you will hear the Word of God preached and the sacraments administered together with more than a thousand kids just like you in such a unique setting. There are no screens, no plays in the front, and no worship bands—just the Word of God. Higher Things is super awesome, and you should definitely check it out for next summer—you won’t be disappointed! Jared is the son of Pastor and Valerie Timm. He is a sophomore at Sauk Rapids - Rice High School. He plays soccer, triple-jumps in track, and recently became an American citizen.
F A L L 2 0 1 3 _ 9
HigherThings From a Youth’s Perspective By Jared Timm
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 8
My name is Jared Timm. I’m a fourteen-year-old boy from central Minnesota. You are
most likely used to going to church every Sunday (especially if you’re a pastor’s kid, like me) and worshiping with 150 or 200 other members, most of whom are 30, 40, or even 50 years older than you. It may be hard to imagine there are others like you. At the Higher Things conference “From Above,” there were more than 1,300 Lutherans about my age gathered together to worship the Triune God. We gathered in a theatre where, when the organ played, it filled all of the space. That’s quite a bit different than my regular church service, where about 150 members attend each Sunday to hear the same service preached by my dad, Pastor Bruce Timm. At the conference there were almost ten times that number of people all gathered together and partaking of the service. It was incredible!
Let me tell you what goes on at a Higher Things conference. Besides worship, this gathering of young Lutherans and youth leaders from all over the country, some even from Canada, includes “breakaway” sessions, where you can learn about pretty much anything that deals with faith, or the Church itself. There are three church services a day, six “break-away” sessions where you learn so much, and one plenary session a day, which is teaching that all of the conference attendees take part in. If you’re worried about how long the sermons must be to get the point across to almost 1,400 young adults, don’t be. The sermons are short, but are probably the best that I have ever heard. It’s all pretty jam-packed with Jesus. During the conference I went to sessions on homosexuality, Roman Catholicism, the Augsburg Confession, and others. Pastors from all over the country taught these, and I was really impressed. Take the breakaway on Catholicism for instance. I thought we were only different because Catholics sold indulgences and had to do good works to get to heaven. But thanks to Pastor Kuhlman, I learned that each time the priests perform “Mass” they are sacrificing Jesus back to God, because apparently, once wasn’t enough. And thanks to Pastor Fisk, who’s pretty much a Lutheran rock star, I learned about the Augsburg Confession and why it was just restating what the early church fathers believed and why it is worth dying for. I learned all that in one hour! Probably my favorite session was by Pastor Cwirla. He taught us about how faith and science go together. He told us that God gave us reason, which we use to think and figure things out, but he also told us that there is a certain point where faith takes over, and reason needs to go away for a bit. In the session on homosexuality by Pastor Buetow, I heard about one of the major issues in our culture today. I learned that when Jesus died for all sinners, that included homosexuals. He explained how the root of homosexuality is lust. We can’t condemn them just because what they are doing is a sin, without understanding that we, as sinners, deserve the same condemnation.“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11-12). After hearing these words, it opened my eyes to the fact that we are all sinners, and Jesus died for all of us. If you think that all of this sounds pretty cool, then you should definitely talk to your pastor and youth leaders about coming to the next conference, because there is no other place where you will hear the Word of God preached and the sacraments administered together with more than a thousand kids just like you in such a unique setting. There are no screens, no plays in the front, and no worship bands—just the Word of God. Higher Things is super awesome, and you should definitely check it out for next summer—you won’t be disappointed! Jared is the son of Pastor and Valerie Timm. He is a sophomore at Sauk Rapids - Rice High School. He plays soccer, triple-jumps in track, and recently became an American citizen.
F A L L 2 0 1 3 _ 9