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Born and Living from Above • Dying and Rising from Above What God Cannot Do • Delirium
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Coming to Campus in 2013
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Contents T A B L E O F
Volume 13/Number 2 • Summer 2013
Special Features
4 Born and Living from Above
By Rev. George F. Borghardt Your Greek 101 word for the day is: anothen. From above. Get a taste of this year’s conferences from one of our plenary speakers, Rev. Borghardt, as he sheds some light on Jesus’ nighttime conversation with Nicodemus in John 3.
14 A New Song
By Rev. Alan Kornacki, Jr. The mark of a good hymn is a combination of a tune and words that can carry the weight of the truths of Scripture that we so treasure. Perhaps Rev. Kornacki, a hymn writer himself, will encourage you to investigate this avenue of giving to the church for yourself.
HigherThings
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Volume 13/Number 2/Summer 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 Subscriptions Manager
Elizabeth Carlson
6 Dying and Rising from Above
By Rev. Mark Buetow No matter how brave you are, the thought of getting a shot for anything is not likely to be something you relish. There’s one inoculation, however, that you can rejoice in and look back on as a purely positive experience—your baptism! Another one of our plenary speakers, Rev. Buetow, continues the theme of “from above” as he focuses on our death as Christians and the resurrection to come.
8 What God Cannot Do
By Rev. Todd Wilken What? There is something God is not able to do? Surely not! Thankfully, there actually are a number of things God cannot do—things which are contrary to who He is. Thank heaven for that! Rev. Wilken definitively brings the truths of Scripture to bear against the common fallacy, “God can do everything.”
10 This Diamond Christ Jesus
By Rev. Evan Goeglein As a child of Christ, you will have those days when your own sinful nature, the devil or the world try to force you under the weight of your burdened conscience. Thankfully, your ability to defend against this does not depend on you. Instead, it is through your Savior, Jesus, that you can freely lay your burdens at His feet, because of what He did out of His love for you.
12 Delirium
By Kelly Klages Read Kelly’s moving account of her own terrifying experiences where reality and her skewed perceptions became so blurred she didn’t know who she was anymore. This time of crisis for Kelly was one during which she became vividly reminded about the love Jesus has for her—the same love He has for you, no matter how dark things might become.
22 My Unbelieving Friends
By Rev. Philip Young Have you ever felt guilty because you believed that perhaps it was your fault your unbelieving friends haven’t yet bought into Christianity? Perhaps your argument wasn’t smooth enough. Your case wasn’t intellectual enough. Well the good news is, as Rev. Young explains, you can’t persuade someone to embrace Christianity. It is only through the work of the Holy Spirit—through Word and Sacrament—that your friends will come to Christ. Knowing this frees you up to be Christ to your friends who are still in darkness.
24 Trust Issues
By Sara Scheler It’s great to be a planner and organized but the danger comes when your happiness and joy hinge on the outcome of your plans. Thankfully, we believe in a God who can do all things—whose plans can never be thwarted (Job 42:2). Sara faithfully reminds us that it all comes back to Christ, in whom we can trust to be there for even the tiniest of details of our lives.
Regular Features 18 Poetry Page
20 Christ on Campus: Brave New World
By Katie Hill Your freshman year of college will usher in many things, not the least of which is challenge and growth. Katie seeks to encourage those of you who have yet to experience that first year with some practical advice but more importantly with the reminder that your identity in Christ is the key to getting from the start to the finish, no matter what that year may bring.
28 Catechism The Table of Duties: Rulers and Citizens By Rev. William M. Cwirla If you’ve ever been frustrated by a particular rule that your parents enforce, or wonder why there is a need for a speed limit, you are sure to gain some insight by reading through Rev. Cwirla’s persuasively written explanation about civil authority and where we as citizens fit in.
30 Bible Study: “Dying and Rising from Above”
Be sure to check out this sample of one of our student Bible studies that links up with Rev. Buetow’s article on P. 6.
IT Staff
Stan Lemon 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 Executive
Sandra Ostapowich Business Executive
Connie Brammeier 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.
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