“Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men” (Luke 5:10b, ESV). Jesus calls all His people, His whole church, to “catch people alive” using the net of the Gospel. He does not rely on so-called experts or “successful” preachers. He actually utilizes sinners—all of us—to bring...

  Ronald L. Kasten Dec. 30, 1935 – March 13, 2026 Ronald Lee Kasten died March 13, 2026. He was born Dec. 30, 1935 in Centralia, Ill., and baptized Jan. 2, 1936. He confessed his baptismal faith in the rite of Confirmation April 10, 1949 at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church...

Jesus said: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful … Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:36–37, ESV). The term “butterfly effect” is associated with mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz. He had studied tornadoes—when they form, what paths they take, and so on … and entered the data...

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from...