Mel Lawrenz is Teaching Pastor at Elmbrook Church. His most recent book is about dealing with loss, A Chronicle of Grief: Finding Life After Traumatic Loss. _____________________________________ “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1) When my daughter was a baby and my wife would put […]
To Be Human is to Believe Read More »
Mel Lawrenz is Teaching Pastor at Elmbrook Church. His most recent book is about dealing with loss, A Chronicle of Grief: Finding Life After Traumatic Loss. _____________________________________ I love watching the sunrise on the horizon of Lake Michigan, and it always reminds me of the dawning of the new life of faith. The black-painted sky gradually
Mel Lawrenz is Teaching Pastor at Elmbrook Church. His most recent book is about dealing with loss, A Chronicle of Grief: Finding Life After Traumatic Loss. _____________________________________ In recent lessons we’ve looked at a biblical view of work, how it comes from the nature of God, and what happens if we work too little or too
Working for Christ Read More »
This day forty years ago was my first day “on the job” at Elmbrook Church. Forty years—is that possible? I never would have imagined that I’d have the blessing of doing ministry in the same church for my entire adult life. Today my head spins with memories. I’ve been involved in so many different forms
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Mel Lawrenz is Teaching Pastor at Elmbrook Church. His most recent book is about dealing with loss, A Chronicle of Grief: Finding Life After Traumatic Loss. It is good to work, good to get tired, and good to rest. Work is an important principle of life, but it is not the only principle. God allows rest,
Mel Lawrenz is Teaching Pastor at Elmbrook Church. His most recent book is about dealing with loss, A Chronicle of Grief: Finding Life After Traumatic Loss. Imbalance can be the result of too much of a good thing. At least on one day that we know of Jesus told his disciples to knock off work. Throngs
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I was in an unpleasant discussion at work when my cell phone sounded that simple and unobtrusive “ding” that meant a text message had arrived. A few minutes later I slipped the phone out of my pocket and read: Eva not breathing. Pray. What I was looking at made no sense. I stared at the
Our Story — Finding Life After Loss Read More »
[Mel Lawrenz is a pastor at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin. His newest book, A Chronicle of Grief: Finding Life After Traumatic Loss, was released this week.] ___________________________ What is conviction? How can we have valid convictions that will give us stability, but also have a proper attitude of tolerance? “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to
Living with Conviction Read More »
[Mel Lawrenz is Teaching Pastor at Elmbrook Church and the author of numerous books, including the upcoming A Chronicle of Grief: Finding Life After Traumatic Loss (IVP, July 2020).] _______________ There are a few common things we can do today to make sure we open our eyes to God’s presence: moments of prayer scattered throughout the day,
What does it mean to be God-filled? Read More »
[Mel Lawrenz is Teaching Pastor at Elmbrook Church and the author of numerous books, including the upcoming A Chronicle of Grief: Finding Life After Traumatic Loss (IVP, July 2020).] _______________ No matter who we are or the position in life we occupy, we all value the wonderful privilege of freedom. But freedom is an easy ideal to
[Mel Lawrenz is Teaching Pastor at Elmbrook Church and the author of numerous books including A Chronicle of Grief: Finding Life After Traumatic Loss.] _______________ The promise of spiritual transformation, and with it, the restoration of human dignity, is powerfully at work in the world. Writing to the believers in worldly Corinth, the apostle Paul described
Freedom and Transformation Read More »
We are living in a time of pain, but also world-changing events. It is not an exaggeration to say that Acts 10 reports a world-changing event, one that should shape how we are navigating the times in which we live. 6.14.20 Sermon Edit from Elmbrook Church on Vimeo.
[Mel Lawrenz is Teaching Pastor at Elmbrook Church. His newest book is A Chronicle of Grief: Finding Life After Traumatic Loss (IVP).] One valid way of describing the gospel of Jesus Christ is that it is the promise of the restoration of dignity. God created humanity according to his image and his likeness, and thus invested humanity
The global health crisis has been disruptive and disturbing. Most people have experienced a sense of loss of one thing or another. We miss handshakes and hugs, gatherings and congregational worship, spontaneity and simplicity. One would think that solitude would come easy, but for many of us in the modern world it is as difficult
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In this challenging time when so many things about our normal lives seem to be radically altered, we can look to those qualities of life that never change. The things that remain. Like faith, hope, and love. This message, based on 1 Corinthians 13:13, unpacks those unchangeable realities. 5.17.20 Sermon Edit from Elmbrook Church on
Things That Remain Read More »