jskogerboe.com :: one thing

I haven’t had a single preaching class yet.  No formal hermeneutics training on my resume.  No Greek or Hebrew language study…  yet.  I start Seminary in 5 days.  So I’ll probably learn all this stuff in class.  But until then, I have an honest question… Does every message I give need to be a presentation [...]

There was a little get together this weekend on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  Attendance reports vary from 87,000 (CBS news) to over half a million (Sky News) largely conservative (including many evangelical Christians) gathered for… um… a non-political, pro-conservative, limited government, support-the-troops, uh… revival meeting. I’ll put my cards on the table.  More and more, Glenn [...]

  Almost two weeks ago now, novelist Anne Rice (famous for her “Vampire Chronicles” series, including Interview With the Vampire) did something, because of her faith in Jesus Christ, that resonated with a lot of people. She left Christianity. July 29, 2010, on her Facebook page, Anne posted the following: In follow-up posts and interviews, Anne has continued to espouse [...]

  May 9, 2010.  Living Hope Church in St. Michael-Albertville, MN.  I taught some practical Biblical principles to help make a wise choice when we face a big decision.  The kind that will change the direction of our life.  Should I take that job?  Where do I go to school?  Should I ask her to marry [...]

May 9, 2010.  Living Hope Church in St. Michael-Albertville, MN.  This was our Mother’s Day message, but let’s be honest…  Moms deserve this kind of encouragement every week.  Am I right, or am I right?  Moms, we love you.  God knew we needed you, and His perfect design had you in mind.  I hope this message fills [...]

“Joshua, please forgive us, but we have just taken a closer look at your profile.  It turns out you’re more special than any of us imagined!” Yeah baby!  THAT’S the way to start a letter!  Alright, mystery guy who sent me a personal letter just to me, for me only.  You had me at hello.  [...]

The first memory I have of Auntie Natalie is eating frost she had scraped out of the freezer on the farm in Karlstad, MN, out of a plastic glass with a metal spoon.  Like a naked snow cone.  And listening to a Steve Martin album in her bedroom.  I must have been five or six, maybe.  [...]

  Over the last three days I’ve been engaged in a fascinating and heart-churning discussion with an old friend.  We use to lead worship together.  Now, he’s abandoned faith for reason, and considers God worse than a fairy tale.  I’m deeply glad we’ve connected again. And here’s the deal… I’m not responsible for his relationship to [...]

You can’t argue someone into – or out of – belief. I could end this post right there. But I’ll add this much…  I embrace these Biblical principles of faith that live in tension with each other: 1) We need to think.  Logic and reason and thorough examination of our faith claims is a necessary part of [...]

Oops. I bet she wishes she could get a do-over.  Not so much.  As of yesterday afternoon, CNN Middle East news correspondant Octavia Nasr is out of a job because of one tweet.  In a moment she now says she deeply regrets, Ms. Nasr expressed her respect for the recently deceased Hezbollah leader (and terrorist) Sayyed Mohammed Hussein [...]