In our devotion today, which comes from Concordia Pulpit Resources, we read about Jesus’ encounter with the Pharisees regarding whether they should pay taxes to Caesar.

In 1998, my husband and I bought a tent.

This tent spelled adventure with a capital A for us. We traveled everywhere with that tent–we hiked up and slid down the Indiana dunes, watched Missouri sunsets, swam in Kentucky lakes, cheered on baseball teams in Ohio, Colorado, and Michigan, ate unidentifiable foods in the deep South, and tucked into our -30 degree sleeping bags Up North at night.

The Psalms express deep feelings. They tap into the depths of our hearts, our emotions, and our experiences. It is easy to identify with the range of emotions covered in the Psalms: frustration and worry, thanksgiving and worship, begging for help or crying out for forgiveness, wondering at God’s Word and His wisdom, anger at God’s enemies, or sheer, jubilant praise. Walk through select Psalms with these study helps.

The Bible study leader’s greatest fear: empty seats. Nothing is quite as intimidating as cold folding chairs and uneaten cookies.

This Sunday’s devotion focuses on the Old Testament Reading and comes from a sermon Luther preached on May 31, 1545, as printed in Luther’s Works, Volume 58 (Sermons V).

Today, we focus on the Gospel text and take our devotion from Portals of Prayer.

Today we read about the impact Muhlenberg made on American hymnody, and we take our devotion from God’s Song in a New Land: Lutheran Hymnals in America.

We focus today on the Gospel text and read a devotion from Proclaiming the Parables.

I am prone to fits.

Not giant fits of rage, but tiny little fits that come like little storm squalls, all thunder and lightning and then nothing, silence, all done.

Except they’re not all done. These little fits stack up, and my husband and family get the worst end of it.

When I was a little girl, our family had a children’s book about Martin Luther. I think it was called Little Martin Luther.