HOW LONG, O LORD? Psalm 13 is a Psalm of Lament. “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?….How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long?” A Psalm for gun violence prevention…

SYNOD ASSEMBLY OBSERVATIONS This spring I spent time attending to GVP (gun violence prevention) table displays at the St. Paul Area Synod and Northwest Minnesota Synod Assemblies. Many conversations later I concluded these observations. 1. People cared about gun violence (GV) and were…

PSALM 1 WISDOM Psalm 1 is a Wisdom Psalm, written to teach the community. It is also an Instructional Psalm that focuses on God’s Law. (LSB-Lutheran Study Bible) The Psalm can inform us of how the faithful can approach gun violence prevention (GVP).…

GUNS AND TYRANNY Although we do not have guns in our home and I gave away my .22 rifle 43 years ago, I can understand guns used for hunting, sport shooting and reasonable personal protection. I do take pause, however, with gun misuse…

I often shake my head in disappointment when I see or hear that a particular candidate or legislator “believes in the 2nd Amendment.”  That statement is almost a guarantee that just the opposite is true!  Gun-rights advocates often refer to the 2nd Amendment…

RESOLUTION POWER The St. Paul Area Synod passed a GVP (gun violence prevention) resolution with over 300 YES votes and only four NO votes. If time would have allowed in the tight assembly, here is the speech I would have given. Gun lethality…

HAIR TRIGGER GUN BILL STAND YOUR GROUND, or “Defense of Dwelling and Person Act of 2017”, or HF0238/SF0292, is a “hair trigger gun bill.” SYG eliminates common law duty to retreat in case of self-defense outside of home. It creates a “presumption…and expectation…that…

TEN COMMANDMENTS REDUX There is a reason why the Ten Commandments ring true in Jewish and Christian communities. They provide an ethical framework for life and a bridge for relationship with God. It is also significant that the frieze above the United States…

TWEET TAKES ATLANTA Lifting both arms and clenching his fists, Tweet addressed the NRA National Convention in Atlanta last evening. His commitment was unequivocal: “The eight year assault on your Second Amendment freedoms has come to a crashing end. You have a true…

SPEECH TO NO SHOW REP. TOM EMMER Last evening, ISAIAH sponsored a public forum with Rep. Tom Emmer at our church, Our Saviors LC. The only problem was he didn’t show up. He had been invited nearly two month previously. He had been…