LIFE WORLD of the For the January 2006. Volume Ten, Number One Living the Christian Life in Our Vocations - p.4 Joy in Service! - p.7 Leading a Christian Life - p.10 What Does This Mean - p.13 page 4 F E A T U R E S page 15 For theLIFE WORLDofthe PRESIDENT Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe PUBLISHER Rev. Scott Klemsz EDITOR Rev. John T. Pless ASSOCIATE EDITOR COPY EDITOR ART DIRECTOR Jayne Sheafer Trudy Behning Steve Blakey For the Life of theWorld is published quarterly by Concordia Theological Seminary Press, 6600 North Clinton Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher of For the Life of the World. Copyright 2006. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at Huntington, Indiana. To be added to our mailing list please call 260-452-2150 or e-mail Rev. Scott Klemsz at klemszsc@ctsfw.edu. For the Life of the World is mailed to all pastors and congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in the United States and Canada and to anyone interested in the work of Concordia The- ological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana. CONTENTS JANUARY 2006 page 10 page 25 Called to SERVE 4 Living the Christian Life in Our Vocations By Dr. Gene Edward Veith, Director of the Cranach Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana Luther said that vocations are “masks of God.” He is hidden in the people who build our houses, fix our cars, teach us how to do things, and create beauty for us to enjoy. Vocation is part of how God governs the universe. 7 Joy in Service! By Mrs. Beverly A. England, Director of Public Relations for the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, Tulsa, Oklahoma What a joy it has been! Serving the Lord in His church and being in a leadership position in an organization that has 250,000 members and does mission work by serving the needs of people near and far are so very fulfilling. Joy beyond words, yes! 10 Leading a Christian Life By Dr. and Mrs. Dennis Ross, Wichita, Kansas When asked to write an article on living a Christ-centered life, Dennis and Ann Ross were first honored and then per- plexed. To them there seemed little that should make their life an example to others, for they know it is only through the Holy Spirit’s power that we are able to submit to God’s will for our lives. 13 What Does This Mean? Continuing a Family Tradition p. 14 Growth in the Heartland p. 16 Continuing Education Benefits You and Your Congregation p. 19 Dr. Wenthe Reappointed as President of CTS p. 20 Dr. David Scaer’s Discourses in Matthew Receives Recognition p. 22 Student Families Appreciate Donation Day p. 25 page 7 3 10 For the Life of the World Chrstian LifeLeading a 11JANUARY 2006 Chrstian Life By Dr. and Mrs. Dennis Ross When asked to write an article on living a Christ-centeredlife, Dennis and Ann Ross were first honored and thenperplexed. To them there seemed little that should make their life an example to others, for it is only through the Holy Spirit’s power that we are able to submit to God’s will for our lives. A verse that has become dear to them is found in Jeremiah 9:23-24: This is what the Lord says: Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, declares the Lord. Following are their reflections on what it means to them to lead a Christian life. Altona (Nebraska), a small rural community near my home, inspired me with its religious devotion. A church in this area had an elaborate altar, stained glass windows, a pipe organ, and a lovely bell tower. Although the congregation was small, the con- gregation set an example in their priorities that still exist today; Jesus Christ and the church were the center of their lives. The stained glass, pipe organ, and bells had to be brought to the church by horse and wagon since the church was built in the late 1800’s. The commitment of these farmers sings out to the future “To God be the glory.” Our lives have been blessed tremen- dously with wonderful caring Christian parents who reared us in the faith. Denny was a Methodist during his childhood but joined the Lutheran Church after our mar- riage. He has been especially drawn to the Lutheran liturgy and musical heritage established by Bach. When our congrega- tion was building a new sanctuary, we wanted to give a sacrificial gift that would help maintain this heritage and give glory to God. We gave a new pipe organ, one that reflected the baroque style of music of Bach but would also accommodate the diverse types of sacred compositions that appeared after this era. Similar to the gifts brought by the wisemen to Jesus, it came from afar (Germany), it required traveling (we visited several German cities examin- ing other organs), and it took planning and effort. The gift was the finest we could offer and was given to worship the 12 For the Life of the World King, Jesus Christ. In giving this gift we felt that we were blessed far more than we could have ever expected. I, Ann, grew up in a Lutheran domi- nated community in northeast Nebraska. My father passed away when I was only 16, but his godly life made a lifetime impression. He taught me Sunday School lessons weekly and led the family in our devotions daily. Altona (Nebraska), a small rural community near my home, inspired me with its religious devotion. A church in this area had an elaborate altar, stained glass windows, a pipe organ, and a lovely bell tower. Although the congre- gation was small, the congregation set an example in their priorities that still exist today; Jesus Christ and the church were the center of their lives. The stained glass, pipe organ, and bells had to be brought to the church by horse and wagon since the church was built in the late 1800’s. The commitment of these farmers sings out to the future “To God be the glory.” Although the influence of our parents and communities helped mold our current “lives as Christians,” the tragedies and difficult times that we have experienced have changed us as well. I had Stage III lung cancer in 1990 and survived only through God’s grace. Many told me to think positively and you can survive, but my position was that I was a child of God and He is in control. He would decide whether I lived or died and He chose for me to live. When our son-in-law was killed in a fire after three months of mar- riage to our daughter, it was difficult to understand why she should have to endure such grief and heartache. Now three years later she has met a wonderful young man who is understanding and loves her. More recently our son, Aaron, has developed a serious infection in his heart and will soon face heart surgery. We find ourselves again turning to God for strength to endure the trials and tribula- tions that are presented to us. These diffi- culties remind us that our life depends on Him and that He is in control of our lives, not we. Allowing God to guide us gives peace to periods of our life that are partic- ularly stressful. Our prayers and those of others have helped us carry on during these difficult times. Finally, to maintain this close relation- ship with God has required nurturing it. Growing up it wasn’t always “fun” to attend church, but today if we are unable to go to church, we find that we miss it. Attending worship services, studying the Bible, and daily prayer have kept us close to God. From time to time we have made the pilgrimage to the Fort Wayne semi- nary for the Lutherhostel and have come away inspired by the teachings of the pro- fessors. They have reminded us how much there is to know and reflect upon in our Christian heritage. We have come to realize how important Lutheran pastors are to our understanding of the teachings of God. As a result, we have directed some of our charitable giving to support the seminary. We realize that the training of men for the pastoral ministry is critical for the growth of our Christian life as well as that of others. Our lives are busy. Denny has a busy medical practice. He is involved with the Wichita Grand Opera, the Wichita Com- munity Foundation, and will be the Presi- dent of the Sedgwick County Medical Society. I teach a weekly Bible class, vol- unteer for church activities, organize church funeral dinners, and participate in the LWML. Both of us sing in the choir and have traveled with our choir to Europe. We are blessed with four wonder- ful children, two sons-in-law, and one grandchild. Financially we are secure and we have all of the material things we could desire. But we are well aware that without God our lives would be nothing. He has provided meaning and direction in our lives and through Him we have found real purpose. Dr. and Mrs. Dennis Ross live in Wichita, Kansas. We find ourselves turning to God for strength to endure the trials and tribulations that are present- ed to us. These difficulties remind us that our life depends on Him and that He is in control of our lives, not we. Allowing God to guide us gives peace to periods of our life that are particularly stressful. Our prayers and those of others have helped us carry on during difficult times.