Epicurious Lutheran

Driven by curiosity to taste the goodness of God

Church in the World

September 24, 2016

God made …

The following are reflections on Psalm 139:13-14 today from Bible.com as well as the stories making headlines now. God made men God made women God made people who are gay, straight, lesbian, transgender, bisexual God made people who become terrorists God made black people, white people, and tan people God made police officers and criminals… Continue reading

Church in the World, Discipleship

BethelManassas, Devotions, Discipleship, LoveGod, LoveNeighbor
September 16, 2016

Praying for those who can’t pray for themselves

I am now ending my third week on sabbatical. So far, it’s going way too quickly! In addition to working on research for my doctoral thesis, I’m using this time to have more thorough prayer time. My prayer and devotional life was getting pretty dry. It was more perfunctory than relational; more of an obligation… Continue reading

Christianity, Church in the World, Community, Devotion, Discipleship, Faith Practices, Prayer, Supporting Neighbors

#BethelPrays, #GodsWorkOurHands, BethelManassas, Interceding, Praying
June 17, 2016

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit

When the day of Pentecost had come, [the apostles] were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of… Continue reading

Christianity, Church in the World, Discipleship, Newsletter, worship

BethelManassas, Grace, Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Summer worship, worship
May 19, 2016

Welcoming Jamie Donahue: Bethel’s Summer Intern

I’m thrilled to welcome Jamie Donahue to Bethel as our summer intern. This really will be a different kind of internship. Jamie is a business and marketing major at Roanoke College. We talked a few months about her interest in having a summer internship and remaining in the Manassas area. I jokingly said “Hey …… Continue reading

Church in the World, Church Leadership, Community, Pastoral Response, Serving

Church internship, Internship
May 6, 2016

Prayer at the Prince William County Board of Supervisors Meeting 5/6/2016

Chairman Stewart, members of the Board, fellow citizens. It is good to be here tonight. Let us pray. Almighty God, we give you thanks for those who serve in public office, especially today we give you thanks for the Prince William County Board of Supervisors and all who work with them to help them govern… Continue reading

Christianity, Church in the World, Community, Prayer, Supporting Neighbors

Community, Prayer, PWC BOCS, PWC Budget
May 6, 2016

Prayer for the National Day of Prayer on Government

I prayed the following prayer for the National Day of Prayer in Manassas, VA, on Thursday, May 5, 2016. The topic for the prayer is government. Good evening, Church. I come here tonight as one who wears the label “Lutheran.” All of us wear the label “Christian.” It may sound odd at first, but we are… Continue reading

Christianity, Church in the World, Church Leadership, Community, Prayer

Government, ImpactManassas, Manassas, National Day of Prayer, NDAP2016
March 3, 2016

Living Generously vs Living Stingily

From March 2016 Bethel Bell Tower newsletter Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. ~ Acts 2:46-47 There are no Scriptures that I have been able to find that… Continue reading

Christianity, Church in the World, Lent, Lutheran, Stewardship

Belltower, Bethel, Discipleship, Faith, generosity, Lent, LivingAGenerousLIfe, LivingGenerously, LoveNeighbor, Trust

About Me

I serve as the Lead Pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Buffalo, NY. As a newbie to Western New York, I’ve been enjoying getting to know the people and the quirks of this community. I enjoy food (both cooking and eating) so the food culture in Buffalo is amazing! I haven’t even known a place that does more with each season of the year. There is quite literally a festival for everything and every ethnic group.