Ascension Lutheran Church Podcast: Recent Episodes
Ascension Lutheran Church, Wichita KS
Ascension Lutheran Church's mission is to make Jesus famous by connecting people to God, growing in relationship to one another, and serving our community and the world.
Traveled to the Wisconsin Dells at the end of June for a vacation and a time away from normal life.
My wife and I went to visit friends in Las Vegas. They told us there is much more to Vegas than casinos. They treated to a tour of the area.
This coming Monday we will welcome 60-70 four-year-olds to 4th graders. And the word on the street is that we have a lot more boys signed up than girls, so this sounds like an interesting week for VBS.
This coming weekend we will celebrate Holy Trinity Sunday. It is the day in which we give special attention to the fact that God is One in three persons.
A couple weeks ago, my wife and I took a short trip to Las Vegas. We didn’t go to the strip at all. Didn’t gamble at all. We went to Grand Canyon west and walked on the Skywalk and then went to the old west mining town of Oatman, AZ.
Our family had a great time last Friday attending the Banana Ball event at Equity Bank Park.
Genesis 32, “Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God's camp!” So, he called the name of that place Mahanaim.”
Weeds compete for the lead role this time of year. Striving to unseat legitimate flowers and vegetables. Unsatisfied with staying out of the way and hidden in the background.
VBS & Holy Communion Volunteer Sign Uphttps://forms.gle/NPi8bDEwdDCNL8nn9 Learn More About Ascension Lutheran Schoolhttps://www.ascension-lcms.org/ascension-lutheran-school
Having worked for many years on a rice farm in Arkansas, I am purist when it comes to rice. My favorite is Riceland rice – specifically conditioned rice from Riceland Foods.
The Artemis 2 crew will land today in a spectacular round trip to the moon and back. They flew farther away from the earth than humans have ever traveled and recorded videos of sights seen by few human eyes as they traversed the backside of the moon that always faces away from the earth.
I watched a lot of strikeouts. The coach played college ball. A firm believer in the efficacy of the game. “Teaches one to manage failure,” says he.
We begin another Holy Week which reaches the ultimate in brutality with the crucifixion of Jesus, but also the ultimate in victory in His resurrection.
Ascension Lutheran School Website https://www.ascension-lcms.org/gradeschool Come join the fun on Saturday, April 11 from 10-11:30am. Bounce house, games, prizes and food as we tour the new School opening the August 19, 2026.
Dr. Caroline Fleck - Validation She is not a theologian, or does she write from any religious perspective and yet what she has to say is universally useful for anyone who would like to help people grow and change.
The longest Psalm in the Bible is Psalm 119 with 176 verses and the shortest comes shortly before it with only 2 verses. Psalm 117 is not only short but it calls out to non-Jewish people of that day.
Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
My daily Bible reading began with the book of Hosea. And the first chapter is a wild ride!
I would like to second what Pastor Mike said about the conference that we attended last week. There was a permeating Joy that went throughout the conference. There were lots of hugs, laugher and a noticeable absence of concerned conversations about the state of things in the church.
I was asked that question numerous times Sunday morning after Pastor Goltl, Cyndy, and I returned from the Best Practices in Ministry conference in Phoenix, AZ. I settled on one answer. The happiness of the people at the conference.
The Ascension Grade school has passed the fire marshal’s inspection and has received the certificate of occupancy from the city.
I know that lots of people gamble and perhaps they are just fine and can take it or leave it. But I can also see how easily I could slip down this slippery slope. This isn’t an anti-gambling video but just an observation that I made about myself.
“American Airlines paging Tyrel Williams. If you want to go to Key West with us, you need to be at gate C29. Now.”
Over the past 65 years of Ascension’s history the congregation has had the typical practice of offering Holy communion on the first and third Sundays of the month. And as we look forward to the coming years of our life together as a congregation, I would like you to consider changing this pattern to every week. We could still use the fifth Sundays of the month for our non-communion Matins service, but for the months with only 4 Sundays imagine if we gathered around our Lord’s Table each week.
We want affirmation for a job well done. Recognition for when we had to carry more than our fair share. Thanks in various forms. A trophy when we sacrifice for the sake of the team. A public deposit into our emotional well-being bank. We yearn for praise. The Bible bursts our bubble.
I can remember as a kid that shopping with adults was not one of my favorite activities. They took far too long, and I know that I was not always the fun kid to have on a shopping trip.
The tooth ache wouldn’t leave, and I was out of town. You know that pain. Like a great-uncle on the 100th re-telling of the African safari where he almost got gored. That pain. Only everyone’s left the room.
I can’t be bored for even a moment, so I pick up my phone and begin to scroll. So what's the big problem?
This picture used to hang in my dad’s barber shop. Not out where customers would wait for their turn to sit in his barber chair, but in the backroom. As a young child I looked at this picture and found it to be heartwarming and endearing.
As we turn to the new year of 2026 there is so much to give thanks to God for the past 365 days and much to look forward to in the coming year.
This will be my last video devotion for the year. Next week I will be focused on planning the Christmas Eve worship at Ascension and the following week we will have grandchildren here so I’m taking a little time off.
The front arrived on schedule. More windy than icy. More blustery than wet. Front porch wreath blown off the wall. Welcome rug covered with leaves blown off the river birch.
There’s a problem with giving just a little information in that it is not the whole story. Yes, the 5 love languages book is helpful, but it’s just a little bit of the whole story. Helpful and in the right direction but it is far from complete.
There is an article in Psychology Today this week entitled, “8 Ways to Be an Adult” and I think that most of us could benefit from its suggestions.
Fifty years ago, I bought my first vinyl album. I still have it. Any guess who the band was and the name of the album? Too many to choose from, right?
Working for wages leads to burn out. Jesus offers a very different motivation for work.
No matter where we are, in a rocky place or a comfy bed, in a lounge chair on the beach or an adjustable hospital bed, God is with us, connected through Jesus.
I woke up grumpy. Actually, I woke up a couple of hours earlier than what I had set my alarm for and my mind began to race with a particular problem that has been ongoing for some time. Here's how everything changed for the better.
A friend of mine has a love/hate relationship with socks. His puppy just swallowed one. If the sock doesn’t reappear on its own, surgery is on the docket.
The readings for this Sunday take us with John to his revelation of the end times and what he got to see in heaven. And guess what John saw?
Almost can consume us. Especially if it involves our hearts desires. Children. Spouse. New job. Cancelling the cancer.
Either Jesus has provided for our complete forgiveness and restoration with God, or he has not. And the prevailing opinion taught from the Pope on down to the local priest in the 1500's was that Jesus has done his part of God’s salvation through his suffering, death and resurrection, but now each person must also do their part.
I could easily eat a case of baked Cheetos. If I had a case of wet wipes. What in your life do you put off because it’s too messy? It takes too much work. Could it be a relationship that’s dear to you that needs attention. Likely some conversation needing conversing.
The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 42, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”
The catalogue arrived old school. Compliments of the US Postal Service. I didn’t know companies still sent them. I remember my parents getting the Sears Christmas catalogue and spending time just looking at all that was available. This catalogue was from Amazon.
In our elementary school lunchroom we had this picture of Jesus hanging on the wall and I loved it. I imagined myself as the kid with the airplane looking fondly at our Lord.
On Tuesday evening the conversation soon morphed into a cassette tape journey down memory lane. My high school years have been labeled the cassette tape era of rock music.
Sunday, September 28 was our Foundations of Faith Capital Campaign commitment Sunday. And I am excited to share with you the results. Keeping in mind that this number will still be growing as more people submit their pledges in the coming days and weeks.
The book of Ecclesiastes provides an unvarnished look at reality. There is a flaw in the system that is designed to reward the good and unless you understand the law of random chance life will be hard to understand.
I’m a big egg guy. Could eat them every day. Do eat them almost every day especially now since I’m suppose to drastically limit carbs and sugar. I gravitate toward fried in bacon drippings. Over easy. With habanero hot sauce for the yolk.
Situations and events wreak the same havoc on our view. Causes us to see things disproportionately.
Paul wrote to the slave owner Philemon about his runaway slave. Paul does not condemn him for owning another human being or even scold him wrongness of slavery, but that’s not to say that he had nothing to say about these two men and their relationship with each other.
Transfer a prescription. Not an easy task. Express Scripts won’t call the local pharmacy for a transfer. You have to get your doctor to send them a new prescription directly even if it’s the same prescription.
But the wisdom of Proverbs comes in couplets and the end the second part of Proverbers of 14:4 states, “but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.”
The $12 car wash failed on multiple levels. I passed up the $20 version. The scrubbing strips seemed to miss major portions of my truck. The tires look like they weren’t even touched. Still covered in dust.
The card arrived compliments of the mail carrier. Encouraging me to better understand how my property taxes get decided. Something about “revenue neutral rates.”
RSVP Your Spot for the Foundations of Faith Small Group Meeting https://forms.gle/iTZcUNTDcfT8QD4R9 You will soon start to see progress being made in preparation for the Ascension Lutheran Grade School. Classrooms have been cleared out to make room for the renovation process.
This devotion is my 250th saved devotion. I say “saved” because there were other devotions in the beginning that I did not save. I never thought I would continue doing them for this long.
I have made a few videos about ChatGPT and other large language models In which I have sung their praises. But after using ChatGPT and other Apps like grok and Copilot, I have found that not only can they give you inaccurate and wrong information, But that also will tell you what you want to hear.
It's hard for me as a pastor not to view movies in the light of theology. It used to bother my wife when we were first married, but I can't stop seeing biblical themes run through storylines. And so today I want to look at the new Supeman and compare and contrast him to Jesus.
We want all of our relationships to be good. Our hearts sense “former” shouldn’t define friends.
The online check register attested to $435 more in the account than my paper checkregister. I was concerned. But it was a good kind of concern.
RSVP for the Ascension Grade School July 26 Banquet https://forms.gle/2VhXbxCBfX9JV5x7A
Varmints. Raccoons and squirrels. They have developed a taste for my tomatoes that I want and need to turn into spaghetti sauce, ketchup, salsa, soup, and chili; and of course for BLTs and hamburgers and sandwiches and Caprese salad.
RSVP for the Ascension Grade School July 26, 2025 Banquet https://forms.gle/4mQjC98GomzU51MY8
This past February, I attended a church conference called Best Practices. It’s a gathering of Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod church workers sharing ideas, practices, and ministries with the hope that something learned may spark an innovation in their current ministry or practice.
In family life, say nothing of congregational life, when we see someone doing something that is not right, we often swing hard to one extreme to the other. We either come down hard and condemn the sinner or we say nothing at all.
I am thankful for the gift of medicine and technology our God has given us. I am praying the cancer cells don’t come back or reactivate. Join me in rejoicing in praise to God and join me in thankfulness even when one is still going through the pay up.
The amazing truth that confronts each of us today is that the Holy Spirit is just as active today and, in our lives, as he was on the day of Pentecost.
This coming Sunday is the last Sunday of Easter until the completion of the 50 day Easter celebration that ends with Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Ascension is the day we celebrate Jesus transitioning from being at one place physically, to be present everywhere, always with us, always showing up somehow, someway as King of kings.
It is hard for us to remember that Christianity isn’t our religion, but we were outsiders who have been adopted into the Jewish family, by the Jewish Messiah.
Earlier this Spring, I was cleaning up the corner flower bed by our front door. We have a large River Birch that grows there and its leaves still covered a mound on which we plant flowers. When I blew the leaves off the mound, to my surprise the Dianthus flowers and the Dusty Miller survived the winter
I came across an interesting article last week by Kelsey Borresen from the online version of Huffpost. And if you are raising or have raised children, I think that you might also want to tune in as well.
God treats you with never-ending love. An always-present ear. A forever-attentive eye. He treats you with His Son. His Spirit. His heart longing for your heart.
As a kid, glitter was this magical sparkle that could be added to any art project, and it would make even the most mundane picture a masterpiece. My thinking back then as a child was: more glitter, more better.
You belong to Jesus. Your ending is resurrection. You and the rest of the world will one day experience a grandiose makeover where all who belong to Jesus will live in crystal clear joy.
Register for VBS - June 9-13 Tyler Campus https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094FABAD28ABFD0-56094137-vbsjune#/
What a mess. Not only had Jesus been tragically taken from those who so dearly loved him. Not only had he suffered so terrible at the hands of the authorities that had been called by God to serve and protect the innocent. Not only had Jesus been crucified, mocked and forsaken by God. But now they can’t even properly grieve his death.
Last week, being Holy Week, reminded me once again of one of my most egregious errors. I’m sure I was taught in seminary. I guess. Or else they simply assumed. Incorrectly.
What makes God’s grace so amazing isn’t that it is free and that you need do nothing, but that God offers his grace as we actively resist his offer fighting with every inch of our being to make things right on our own.
After weeks of anxious waiting, the surgeon revealed the results. I hadn’t expected the word he used.
Walmart is an interesting place to people watch and at my last visit I was not disappointed.
Some people prefer unadulterated coffee. I’ve always been a flavored creamer guy. Not milk. Too thin and watery. I want the substance and thickness a little fat brings.
As we come near to Holy week and the passion story of our Lord Jesus. One little moment caught my attention as I was reading my devotional materials at home with my family. It’s that moment when Jesus locked eyes with Peter.
During this season of lent with it’s special emphasis on spiritual disciplines and the giving up of certain things it is tempting to think that we are really making some improvements only to realize that the next big change awaits us. It can be discouraging.
Right or wrong I’m not one for high school reunions. I had some great friends in high school, but if they aren’t attending, I feel no tug to reunite with the others. Some classmates I contact occasionally. One classmate I contact every day. Dianne started out as a high school classmate.
Jesus told a quick story about a certain fruit tree that did not bear any fruit. You will hear this parable in the gospel reading from Luke this coming Sunday.
My love for playing in the dirt started young. Both my grandparents were farmers in Perry County, MO, one outside Longtown, the other outside Old Appleton. I loved riding on the tractor with grandpa mowing hay or cultivating corn.
Do you believe Jesus has given you a spot in His home? That His performance makes up for your lack thereof? That your relationship with God is eternally good and can never, never be taken away from you?
When you think back to when you first felt the fire and reality that God was real and part of your life what comes to mind? When you think back to when your love for God was new and fresh, what was it that was especially notable and wonderful?
God treating us with such love should change how we treat others. It should give us eyes that see the person behind the product. The child of God behind the desk. Behind the face.
“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Perhaps you have never done anything for Lent. Or maybe you have always done the same thing every year and with that repetition it has lost its edge. Here are 40 spiritual disciplines to choose from this Lenten season. Daily Devotional for Lent https://www.ascension-lcms.org/_files/ugd/f0f9a9_488936e9b9834cccb2406b723fa677ec.pdf
Sometimes with side-excursions planned out and eagerly anticipated. Other times with detours unseen and unwanted.
I know this is not a sports podcast or a Chiefs channel so I do have some Spiritual insights into what I saw, what I feel, and what’s next for me and Chiefs and maybe Jesus.
Do you live by yourself? Within yourself? Trusting in your abilities and knowledge and insight?
I have been using ChatGPT for many months for all kinds of topics. I would ask it a question and then I would get a very handy answer. All was well until Last week. When it started asking me questions.
What ensures you don’t miss Jesus? What brings you back to your Creator day-in and day-out?
o far everything is on track for a fall 2026 opening of the school if the congregation so decides in the voters meeting to move forward. Stay tuned for the announcement of that date. School Feasibility Committee: Glen Cork, Lonn Poage, Ana Hiel, Katie Luttinen, Pastor Mike and Pastor Scott School Feasibility Genesis Project Report: https://www.ascension-lcms.org/_files/ugd/f0f9a9_1c57897544494aecac4745b1a6ce677b.pdf
These days when it comes to plumbing repair, I get apprehensive. I wonder what else will break or leak if I try to fix this problem. I second guess myself. What if I break something beyond what I have the tools to repair?
If there is a winter season of the soul, we may rightly wonder what good purpose could ever come from such a cold and baren time of fruitless waiting on the Lord.
What looked like a fairly calm day became a crazy bouncy jaunt. While the surface air was normal, the air above 3,500 was bumpy and churning.
In almost every letter Paul urges, encourages, admonishes and prays for the spiritual growth and maturity of those who will read his letters.
I don’t know about you but getting up earlier than normal causes me to wake up every hour or so. Wondering if I had missed my alarm. Strange how just an hour change in habit leads to anxiety the night before.
So what if I told you that there is something more powerful than willpower or pain in your tool bag for change? And that it is a whole lot more fun.
I spotted vultures, doves, egrets, and herons. I saw Mallards, Gadwalls, Wigeons, Lesser Scaups, Buffleheads, Pied-billed Grebes, Goldeneyes, and Cormorants. All these birds I had seen before, just never took the time or binoculars to really identify them. The unknown became known through taking time to identify.
When the future looks great, we wait for it with eager expectation. So says St. Paul when writing of creation and the Second coming of Jesus.
True confession: I’m usually driving 64 mph when I scoot through this section of Sedgwick County. I hadn’t noticed all the trash.
What do you do when your plans don’t work out the way you thought that they would? Most get angry. When we don’t get want, we want then we have to change our plans and I already had a plan and I already had my heart set on those plans moving forward.
The Mexican cornbread stuffing recipe complete with esquites, chorizo, and poblano chiles beckoned me from the shadows. Daring me to go off-road on a non-traditional Thanksgiving trail.
You might well remember standing in line in the wee hours of Black Friday morning so that you could snap up a sweet deal on a TV, game counsel, or other must have Christmas gift purchase.
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. (Revelation 7:9)
Behaviors don’t make you any better in God’s eyes. Jesus has already done that. Behaviors do make you more attractive…more approachable in your neighbor’s eyes.
I am currently reading the book, “Indistractable – How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life” by Nir Eyal.
I was invited to preach the celebration service at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Memphis, TN, the congregation I served before accepting the call to Ascension.
Imagine if Jesus came to our worship service and watched us place our offerings into the plate. That would make us all a little self-conscious to say the least. More than a hypothetical, Jesus actually watched those who gave their offerings at the Templs and here's what he had to say then and now.
When it comes to tires, I want both. Both longevity AND quiet. “Both” runs through much of life. Especially our walk with Jesus.
Every little choice we make, every word, every action is not benign but goes in one direction or another. Either towards health, love, goodness or disfunction, coldness and evil.
The Bible doubles down on comfort in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. Must be an important concept. Nine times in seven verses some form of the word appears.
If you had to guess where the largest body of Lutheran are in the world are located where might you guess? Germany? The United States? Brazil? Australia? All good guesses, but these countries all pale in comparison to this nation.
“I’m trying to decide if I should take the job offer or not,” she explained. Obviously torn between staying or going." “I wish God would give me a sign. Write something. Text me.”
Just down the road a bit on interstate 35 in Edmund, OK, a rare archaeological find is on display at the Armstrong Auditorium. The center piece of the exhibition entitled Kingdom of David and Solomon discovered is an inscribed piece of stone dating from 3000 years ago known as the Tel Dan Stele. Promo Video from the Armstron Auditorium https://youtu.be/JJ90D0ZM5H8?si=d9bdOswSTj-ZbvNA
Luke 12 begins with an interesting tidbit: Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples… (Luke 12:1) I had never noticed the trampling phrase before. Not that it wasn’t there. Just didn’t register in my thoughts. Never thought about how Jesus had become so famous people climbed over each other to get near him.
God's requirements are like a sledgehammer and the heart is a ragged piece of concrete being beaten and smashed. But to what end?
Does God seem silent when you pray? Perhaps we’re unable to hear His call? Maybe we’re only open to certain answers?
When we got to Romania, people were acting like they were in Death Valley. They were swimming in the public fountains. Hiding in cellars to stay cool. Fans with misters wherever people were sitting outside. It was only 95.
We are about half way through our fall sermon series on Christianity School of Life. As we follow Jesus we learn from him how to put into practice everything that he has taught.
It caught my eye as I drove by at 80 mph. Holding shop right next to the concrete barrier. Totally out of place. A front-loading washing machine. Upright. Ready for its first customer.
“If you were here helping us you wouldn’t need to be out walking.” So said one of the roofers in the neighborhood (someone I knew).
I asked for tonic water with lime on the plane. The flight attendant gave me a can of tonic water. (I was surprised I receive a whole can.) And a little packet of lime. Not real lime. At least not a lime from which one could squeeze the juice. Powdered crystalized granulated lime. Made from once alive lime.
Shame is different than guilt and so is the remedy. The new life in Jesus offers a life out of guilt and shame.
See you in worship this weekend. The children are back to school. Vacations are complete. It’s time to make worship the center of your fall weekly routine.
We can be willfully foolish, stubbornly unfaithful and chronically unrepentant. Does there come a moment when enough is enough and we've gone too far?
The great commission has at its core that we are all students of Jesus, and that Christianity is the school of life. We aren’t simply learning Bible stories or even morality regulations. While these all have the place and are necessary, they are not the core curriculum.
Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” vs. 53-54
To be that open to God’s call. To be that in tune with God’s voice. To be that willing to act against culture.
It's not just Pastors and teachers, nurses and doctors who are being sent out into the mission fields but also IT techs. This is Ascension member, Aaron's, faith talk.
Many of Ascension members are going on faith adventures in which they are sharing their faith and following Jesus. Two sisters spent the summer on the east coast and here is their story.
Why go with a one-sided god who demands but then leaves it up to you to fix how you fall short.
He spent the day with a grass trimmer, a yard rake, other yard tools, and a wheelbarrow. His plan? Clear it out. Return the lakefront property to a sense of respectability. To let the beauty shine through.
Project 320 is not only about calling a pastor and looking at the possibility of a school but also working towards a greater involvement of volunteers and participants in the ministries that we offer.
I have a problem with golf shirts. As in I have too many. As in I have more golf shirts than, well, not than wheat fields in Kansas, but you know where I’m going. It all started when I began volunteering as a gallery marshal for the Fedex-St. Jude Classic in Memphis, TN.
Sin is a big deal. Not because our actions are wrong but because our actions do God wrong. It is personal. It is offensive to the one who loves us and has given us everything from life, redemption, mercy and ongoing kindness every day.
Who around you needs encouraging? Who’s facing a challenge they’ve never encountered before? Could use a crazy knee-highed sock fan shouting their name? Cheering doesn’t cost anything. Simple heartfelt words desiring the best for someone. Seeing the best in them.
There in the corner where the top of pillar meets the roof supports is an exposed ledge. A bird was trying to build its nest there. I don’t want a bird’s nest where people enter the house.
What about the prayers that go differently than requested? What about the times in our lives that the good things that we have prayed for don’t happen and in fact the exact opposite has happened?
Bind weed is a vine that wraps around everything it grows near. I think it got its name from binding up thrashers and combines during harvest or just because it binds itself to other plants and structures.
Last week a word from 1 Thessalonians 3 caught my attention. You may remember it –the word “rapidly.” At this writing it’s a word from 1 Thessalonians 4. It is on the other end of the spectrum – quiet.
It’s easy to forget that Jesus grew up in family and they had their own ideas about Jesus just like we have our opinions about our own siblings. Jesus was the eldest in the family and while we do not have any recorded family conversations you can tell from two recorded encounters that it must have been difficult for Jesus. He obviously loved his family and took good care of his mother even as he was dying on the cross, but families are a different dynamic than friends, students and the general public.
In a culture where time and change move at warp speed we treasure slow times with family and nature. We sense that slowing is healthy. It brings clarity and direction.
The greatest in the kingdom of God are those who serve and give their lives for others, even unto death. Now who wants the job?
Seems too much water and not enough water do similar stuff to roots. Leaves and stems can’t get water through rotted roots. Nor can they get water when none is present.
Unless there’s been a change of heart. Some Divine rewiring. We mimic hummingbirds in staking out instead of sharing. In ignorantly believing we were due. Or earned. Or deserved. Ignorantly denying what God gave.
I know that chlorine bleach is what is used in mold and mildew killer, but I reasoned it was so diluted and had sat long enough that most of bleach should be gone. Wrong assumption.
On Easter Sunday we introduced a school interest survey in which we invited the congregation members, Open Arms families, Ascension Preschool families and the community at large to share their thoughts on Ascension starting a Lutheran grade school in the fall of 2026. The survey ran through the month of April and has now concluded. 107 respondents have given their thoughts and opinions on a range of questions, and I would like to share some of the results with you today.
The size of the resource never hindered Jesus. The size of the faith never stopped Him from performing the miracle. A mustard seed amount? More than sufficient. A theologically inadequate understanding? If it involved placing one’s trust in Him for whatever reason, well, that worked.
This Sunday at our 11:00am Tyler service we will witness our Jr. confirmation students confess their faith and promise to remain in the Christian communion even if they must suffer death for the faith. It is a big vow for a 13-14 year old to make or for that matter anyone of any age and yet, that is what confirmation Sunday sets before us.
Russian Olives have a scent that once you smell it, you don’t forget it. Certain smells evoke reactions. Like the smell of baking bread. That smell lifts the spirit.
I had my semi-annual dentist appointment this morning. My hands always hurt after going to the dentist because I kept them so clinched.
If you are married long enough you know the dances of marriage. Conversations that invite the other into a caring relationship.
Today I would like to go into the deep end of the theological pool and talk about our capacity to do good. Did you know that Lutheran theology has a very different answer to the question about our capacity to do good than many others.
Jesus’ resurrection from the grave wasn’t fuzzy or ghostly. It resulted in sharp edges of real holes in real hands of a real conquering-death-human.
The Sunday after Easter is often less well attended, but you will want to be there anyway.
The past few days were extremely unsettling. Especially if your name was Mary. Or Peter. Or James. Or John. Or any part of Jesus’ traveling band of friends. What a wild ride on the Golgotha roller coaster. Skull Mountain Express.
Jesus kept offering Judas sincere love. True friendship. Even celebrated the Passover with him. Included him in the inaugural Lord’s Supper. Never turned away from him. Never booted him out.
Tornado watches differ from warnings. Warnings mean a tornado’s been sighted. Watches imply that all the ingredients for a fancy meal are on the counter, but a chef hasn’t put them together yet.
And after being a dynamic duo for so many years they have parted company and are going their separate ways.
I’ve encountered very few things honey can’t make better. Peanut butter + honey? Better. Greek yogurt + honey? Better. Fried chicken + honey? Do we even need to discuss?
God didn’t have make kittens so adorable, flowers so colorful, mountain peaks with grandeur, or the face of woman so lovely, but he did. Why?
In those anxious times of life, our Father God calls us to remember our true Family Tree: we belong to Him. To the one who heals. The Savior who reconciles. The Counselor who speaks comfort into our sadness. Confidence into our confusion.
You may have many things that you would like to change about yourself. Lose weight, be a kinder gentler person, stop addictive or compulsive behavior, be more at ease, exercise more or whatever it is that you like to change, whatever it is you know you need to change. It will not change without a staggering amount of effort, pain and multiple attempts. Changing a long-established habit in the human being is one of the most difficult tasks to attempt. Will power fades when you are tired. Distractions take you off course, self talk – talks you out of the change. Craving, temptations, weakness, fatigue and let’s not forget that devil knows your buttons and your go to comforts. You don’t have a change on your own.
South Dakota geography provides lots of lonely stretches. Especially at night. Especially when driving solo.
There is just something about our human nature that responds with comfort and assurance to know the way of life that is God pleasing, good and right.
The medical emergency reminded me of Martin Luther’s explanation to the eighth commandment where he enjoins us to “explain everything in the kindest way” and not to immediately jump to demeaning the person or belittling them.
In the Wichita Eagle there was a story today on clergy burnout post Covid. The numbers were shocking in that over 40% of pastors in America have considered, not only leaving their congregations, but also leaving the ministry all together.
My answer is simple. A school will give us the best opportunity to help form a deep and lasting faith in hearts of children. Lutheran schools have a proven and verifiable track record of spiritual formation that goes well beyond what we can provide in Sunday school and mid-week programs.
When you’re filling the car and the gas overflows. Not good. When you’re filling the tub and water overflows. Not good. When all the frustration of the day overflows into dinner with the kids. Really not good.
We all may feel in our darker moments that it would have been better to never have been born. And most certainly Jesus felt the same as he struggled in the Garden of Gethsemane wanting the cup of suffering to pass. And that he would not have to go to the cross. But as we wait on the Lord and in his word put our hope relief and resurrection will come.
Gottman Institute Link https://www.gottman.com/blog/blame-resentment-and-negative-sentiment-override/
We need to be loved and give love to our spouse and unless we are brought out of the Negative Sentiment Override the relation will die.
But the really good news is that not only is there a cure, but the cure is available to you right now. The relationship restoration is not complicated or costly, but that doesn’t mean that it is not hard. It is hard because it requires forgiveness on your part and being vulnerable to the one that you have judged to be unworthy, not trustworthy with your emotions
Consider the God who designed you so completely. So gloriously. That you could experience life so fully.
You and I don’t get to make the big decisions of how the AI companies will manage their systems, but we do answer how we will use what is available to us from them.
Could you actually turn the other check when it is slapped? What Jesus is really calling us to is more than morality but love.
A friend once told me it’s not the gifts received as much as it is the memories made. My first thought was, “Try telling that to a child at Christmas.”
Several times in worship lately I have seen in the hymns and in the readings the words exalt and exult and I have wondered to myself so what is the difference? And what exactly do these words mean anyway?
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” - James 1:17
After the shepherds searched for the infant who was lying in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes, and after they told everyone who would listen to their amazing story of angles who filled the night sky and had sent them on their journey to Bethlehem, what did they do next? Any guesses?
Maple Campus Christmas Eve 10:00am & 4:30pm
Tyler Campus Christmas Eve 10:00am, 4:30pm & 6:30pm
Tyler Campus Christmas Day 10:00am
Is all your Christmas shopping complete? I think mine is. My wife will tell you that I’m not a good gift-giver. Has never been my forte. Not my spiritual gift.
Here is a brief update on our Project 3:20 plans. We have had some forward progress on both the Maple Campus site Pastor call and the Tyler Campus School Feasibility Study.
Imagine that if you only reference for the name Jesus Christ was a curse word. How did we get to this point? And where do you go from here?
…so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28
Download your digitial copy of the daily Advent devotion right here. https://www.ascension-lcms.org/_files/ugd/f0f9a9_a33df533239f4506b419a95f6868ae33.pdf
I have a set routine. A specific order to my workout, but I couldn’t do that. The kids were on the machines I use. Sitting there, texting, surfing their social media. A lesson in patience.
I will be preaching a message this weekend on Ephesians 6:10-13. I will tease a little of that message right now and tell you that it is all about Spiritual warfare.
A parishioner told me once of visiting a hotdog plant. Watching what all went into the ballgame-campfire-pro shop-convenience-store-menu-staple, led him to swear he’d never eat a hotdog again. I’ve never been to a hotdog plant, so I’m still eating.
So what has God been doing in my life lately? Nothing new but his repeated work has been producing such a profound change that I want to share the change with you.
Statistically, it’s not that dangerous. You only have about a 1 in 100,000 chance of not waking up. Which means 99,999 times you will.
Why not venture on the kingdom of God and see if this connection is also true for you. And if you find that you have a story to tell then I would love to hear it.
Our Creator created us to rest regularly. Built it into His commandments for our wellbeing. He calls us to a weekly rhythm that includes relaxation.
I would like to share my response to having watched several NDI videos because of the questions that it stirred in me seem worth exploring.
Rescue stories have our number. Especially ones against the odds. Add“ever” at the endof “most difficult cave rescue attempt” and you’ve hooked me,
In 1996 the 9 year old Amber Hagerman was riding her bike in Arlington, TX when she was abducted and then tragically murdered. But from this unthinkable event the Amber Alert System was born.
Failure appears out of nowhere. Routinely. Like an uninvited stranger crashing the party. It will hurt. It will leave a scar. You might always remember it. But will it define you?
Maple Campus Site Pastor update, Tyler Campus school progress, home bound ministry information and new Bible studies.
The best gift of listening to God’s Word is the grace infused into our lives. We know we often hear, but do not listen. We know how easy it is to hear “Do not covet. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness, Do not curse, swear, lie, or deceive, but we also know how difficult it is to put it into practice, to take it to heart.
What if everyone thought that the worship service was great. But what if God, the one whom they worship, wasn’t happy at all with the service?
When the pain has you in its grip it demands focus and most of your attention. It becomes the main character of your story and everything in life revolves around it. And you wonder if you will ever feel well again. As you learn to live with pain, manage it, ignore it, run from it and treat it so here is my question, “where is God in your pain management?”
Jesus told stories encouraging us to be ready. The object of readiness was most often Him, however. We should be ready for Him showing up. For Him asking us who He is. For Him calling us to His side.
This coming weekend will be a time for God to continue the work of shaping our hearts for the very same giving of undeserved grace. The message will focus on the Gospel reading from Matthew 18:21-35.
If you fear losing the security and power of your money, if you despise sharing your wealth and being generous, if you desperately strive for more and more but are never content, money is your master. The life with Jesus offers freedom that cannot be bought.
How do you discern Jesus’ words in the midst of the noise? You need to learn His Voice. Become more familiar with His promises. His wisdom. Read and re-read the stories of His miracles. The examples of His power. The proof of His divinity.
The Gottman Institute have pioneered the latest research on relationships and emotional health. They studied married couples in the first 6 years of their relationship and found that couples who stayed married did this one thing about 86% of the time while the couples who did not endure past 6 six years only this this one thing about 36% of the time.
What caught my attention about La Croix was the bottom of the can. It is ringed with this formula. “0 Calorie + 0 Sweetener + 0 Sodium = Innocent” Innocent? Cool!
Proverbs 4: 23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."
The wise person realizes the source of his life is also the source of all life. Everywhere we look, we see the Giver of Life at work. Life doesn’t just happen. It doesn’t simply pop out of nowhere.
The Gospel reading from Matthew 15 is one of those peculiar passages where what Jesus says and what he does leaves you dumbstruck.
I ask God to open doors or nail them shut. Along the lines of, "I’ve prayed. Asked Your Spirit for wisdom. Consulted Your wise people in my life. Here’s what I’m going to do. Stop me if it’s stupid. Please.” It’s a posture of humility coupled with confidence.
Pastor Aaron’s last sermon asked us to consider if we were optimist or pessimist and then if we were definite or indefinite. I would say that my internal setting leans heavily towards the optimist.
Our world is full of sharp objects best left alone. Every time we run into them something gets bloodied.
It is easy to hear Kingdom of Heaven and automatically think of that realm where we will be when we die. The habitation where God the Father, the Holy Spirit and now the resurrected and ascended Jesus live with all of the angels. The kingdom of heaven includes that property, but it is not limited to the nonphysical realm of the Divine and angels.
Jesus came to lead you through the valley of remorse to His hill of forgiveness. To lift your head to His cross. To turn your eyes to His empty tomb.
I would like to present this challenge before you because there is a real spiritual blessing to be found in reading a whole book of the Bible in one hearing.
The instructions lacked words. Someone decided pictures were sufficient. Three simple drawings intended to provide enough info for me to change out the innards of the shower faucet.
Chances are if you’re running low on peace, on contentment, on generosity, on caring… you’re running low on God’s Word.
I would like to invite those who are 18 through 20 something to join me for a new Bible study offering that will begin on Friday, June 30 at 6:30pm at the Maple Campus located at 12885 W. Maple. Bring a friend, as we will explore together what it means to have a life with God.
I had been praying each day of VBS for a time to share in greater depth, that a child would hear the promise or claim of Jesus and wonder if it is true. Today it happened!
Married for 40+ years entails trips through multiple cookbooks: Bavarian Beef Saute, Curried Chicken, Spaghetti Pie, Lion’s Head with Napa, Broccoli Cheese soup, Butternut Squash soup, Creamy potato soup, Shrimp bisque, Air fried asparagus with parmesan, Green beans wrapped with bacon in molasses, Stewed tomatoes.
Breaking into a new community can be very challenging. Let's make it a great experience for those who join Ascension.
Waiting for rain! Frustrated as it goes to the north or south of us. Waiting for a package delivery, wondering if the seller can deliver. Waiting for an answer to a prayer or a request or a proposal. King David once wrote, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” (Psalm 5:3)
Please join me for another service of Prayer on Wednesday, June 7 at 6:30pm at the Tyler Campus.
E-k-e comes from an old English verb meaning to add, to supplement, or to grow. So, to eke-out a living means one needs to supplement or add to their income somehow, someway, just to survive.
My birthday is coming up on Wednesday, May 31 and what better way to celebrate than gathering with you for a prayer service that evening at 6:30pm at the Tyler Campus.
I’m not a plane crash expert, but I suspect if the plane goes down, the giant playground staple won’t be that helpful. Maybe, but I’m not that hopeful.
I heard a wise person once say, “Imagine if you had to pay taxes on what you thought you were worth.” There was a corollary to this. “Tax Day is the only day you wish you made less.”
Prayer - Discernment - Healing Service on Wednesday, May 31 at 6:30pm at the Tyler Campus. Just as a small spark lights a flame into life if the conditions are right and the fuel is present, so it is a good time to gather for prayer at Ascension. God’s Spirit is moving among us and stirring in the lives of our community so let’s gather to seek him, his will and his way being done among us.
Bull Nettle. The plant no one loves. Some even call it Satan’s Dandelion. And for good reason. Brush up against it and the hairs on the plant act like little needles that inject formic acid into your skin. Ouch! Formic acid is associated with fire ant bites for reference.
In my mind this was a pretty clear case of inattentive driving on the part of the third vehicle that smashed into the two stopped vehicles. I assumed that would be a simple matter that would be settled quickly, and life could move one with insurance paying for damages. But as you can guess, I was wrong about this assumption.
We yearn for authenticity. For the soul to mimic the skin. For the projection to not be plastic. For friends to be the real deal. Salt of the earth. Do what they say they’ll do. Word good as gold. We long for true integrity. Definitely dependable. Truly trustworthy.
I invite you into this prayer, that Jesus would find us more and more useful in his mission to west Wichita and beyond. Pray for our youth, pray for our young families and all for whom our Lord will call.
What needs changing in your life so that people enjoy driving next to you more often? What proud structures need tearing down and removing so that people stop getting stuck? Humility is a good thing. It was a core trait of Jesus.
Most people and certainly not I myself, pursue difficult and pressing challenges, but they are the very times that God also proves himself.
There is so much in these of these words of I Peter 1: 3-9 to talk about. There is so much to be excited about and encouraged by that you really need to take these words and just live with them for awhile and read and reread them until your heart, soul and mind can soak them in.
I’ve always wondered what Lazarus thought. How he felt. To be at the dinner. Reclining with the other guests. Looking forward to popping a few olives in his mouth. Washing them down with some wine. When just a few days ago he was in a tomb.
Today is Good Friday. Our Lord was marched out of Jerusalem after a quick trial in which an angry mob decided his fate. So badly beaten and abused his cross had to be carried by a stranger. At any moment Jesus could have called on his father and Legions of arm angels would have rescued him from his impending doom but he did not call.
“Wasteful” was how the disciples felt one evening a few days before Jesus’ crucifixion. At a dinner in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman dumped a jar of expensive perfume on Jesus’ head.
“Why this waste?” Judas asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
First I want to say that I have never felt more weak in my own strength and yet strong in the strength of Jesus. He was my constant companion and my rock that did not waver even when I was a wilted reed. Even during the most overwhelming moments of this experience I came to the firm conviction that I would rather go through this challenge with Jesus than to not have the challenge without Jesus. He is the one thing that I cannot and will not live without. Come what may.
What weeds add color to your landscape? What relationships draw more energy? What struggles appear to distract but possibly also shape you into a stronger person?
Jesus’ good friend Peter once wrote about trials: “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:7)
The mini-cabbages never find themselves on the world’s favorite vegetables list. No top 10 for them. Not even a top 500. Even their name speaks to a limited following. It’s Brussels with an S since the veggie’s fan club originates from that Belgium city.
For those of you still in the child-rearing years, what tastes do you want your children to love? Why? To what food and drink - physical and spiritual - are you introducing them? Placing on their plate. Modeling how good and filling this habit is or that habit.
A crimson cardinal camping on my lightly snow-covered garden eating some spent grain from my home brewing. He is my red-eye view this morning. Daring me not to see him. Not to stop and watch. Not to contemplate why God would color him with the red crayon.
The season of lent is well underway and for me I am having a little bit of trouble getting into it. I am not sure that lent is something that needs getting into, in that it just is whether we feel like it or not. Just like the days are getting longer and spring is just a couple of weeks away whether I feel like it or not.
When you have need, a question, a doubt, some confusion, or frustration why are you not asking Jesus? He is just as knowledgeable about your job as he is our justification. He is just as well read about your personal relationships as he is your personal salvation. Why are you taking financial advice from a random YouTube influencer? Why are you listening to the limited wisdom of this world and what it says is true, good and right when the One who truly is true, good and right is immediately available to you and he knows you through and through? Why not ask him, and then wait for his answer?
9.9.22 Devotion from Pastor Scott
Common Ground Meal RSVP https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A48AEAE2BA2F85-wednesday1
6.24.22 Devotion by Pastor Scott
Register here⬇️
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry Bible Study Registration
Bible Class Registration Link: https://forms.gle/1CPKt12gPDrCpsHv6
RightNow Media: https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/ASCENSION
12.31.21 Devotion from Pastor G.
Workshop Registration https://forms.gle/PtnBQpErcNzs17me8
We need people who fill us up by showing us grace (being present and encouraging). We also need people to tell us the truth. This week we look at the truth filled relational nutrients of quadrant 3- “provide reality.”
Today's Devotion from Pastor Aaron.
Do you tend to catastrophize? Do you easily become overwhelmed by negative experiences? Do you struggle holding both positive and negative emotions at the same time? If yes to any of the following, you may have a deficit in our third character structure for a healthy trunk- integration.
Separation or differentiation is knowing where you end and others begin. It is being able to set clear boundaries and to say “no” to things that do not align with your own values and beliefs. Tune in to pastor Aaron’s devotion to find out more about the character structure of Separation.
An important message from Pastor G.
Sign-up for Common Ground Meal https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040a...
Sign-up for CGS Hour https://forms.gle/2iAZzAvBofRUfCWT8
Tune in to week one of pastor Aaron’s four part series on character development. In this episode, we will learn about attachment and the importance of developing strong relational bonds with others.
Ever had your credit card stolen? Pastor Bingenheimer's Devotion today touches on that great feeling of knowing you are taken care of.
Pastor Aaron's Devotion 8.12.21
God wants to see some fruit! Tune in to pastor Aaron's devotion for today to see what kind of nutrients we need in the soil to produce good fruit for God and others.
8.6.21 Devotion from Pastor G.
Here is the quick form to update our contact information https://forms.gle/3AbYdvto8HsbNkW3A
Reopening Christianity Bible Study from RightNow Media https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Content...
Need a free membership to RightNow Media from Ascension? https://accounts.rightnowmedia.org/Account/Invite/ASCENSION?returnUrl=https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Account/Media/InviteReturn
Pastor B's cousin had to sell his 1972 blue gran torino sport. Pastor Bingenheimer's Devotion from 7.20.21.
We're packing Christmas boxes for Operation Christmas Child this Sunday, July 18, 9:45 AM, Tyler Campus Library.
Listen in as Pastor Aaron explains how Jesus is Yahweh incarnate, the great I AM who revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush.
Today's Devotion from Pastor Scott.
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23
Listen in as Pastor Aaron expounds upon Genesis 3, man’s gal into sin, and the promise of a savior who would crush the serpent’s head.
In today's devotion, pastor Aaron moves on to week #2 in response to a listener's question about the importance of the Old Testament to the Christian faith. Tune in as pastor Aaron takes us all the way back to the beginning.
Pastor Aaron's Devotion from 5.27.21.
Also, this summer Pastor Aaron is taking questions or suggestions for his Devotions. Please email him ahannemann@ascension-lcms.org