Book: The American mind meets the mind of Christ

Whether it is an altar to an unknown god or the New Atheists, Christians have always faced the challenge of translating the Gospel message within the surrounding culture. 
This is no less true for the tangled web that is 21st century America. 
Edited by global scholar Robert Kolb, The American mind meets the mind of Christ are ten essays that engage numerous facets of American culture from politics to science, the movies to new media to find the interconnections between the American mind and the mind of Christ.

Ten essays are:
The American mind meets the mind of Christ....Robert Kolb

Health and Wealth

Living in the Land of Milk and Honey . . . Dale A. Meyer
The Good Life: Health, Fitness, and Bodily Welfare . . . R. Reed Lessing

Individualism and Community

Individualism as the Insistence on My Rights . . . Joel Biermann
Individualism, Indulgence and the Mind of Christ: Making Room for the Neighbor and the Father . . . Leopoldo A. Sánchez M.

Religion and Religiosity

Pluralism and Mix-and-Match Religion . . . Paul W. Robinson
American Mystic Spirituality . . . David R. Schmitt

Science and Culture

Science, Technology, and the American Mind . . . Joel P. Okamoto
Cinema and the American Mind . . . David I. Lewis

Media

Media as a Source of Information and Identity . . . Anthony A. Cook

Study guide is also available at 

https://www.csl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/americanmindstudy.pdf

Luther's hymn melodies

Noted liturgical scholar, composer, and Concordia Seminary Professor Emeritus James Brauer has brought together his decades-long research into Luther’s use of contemporary tunes and melodies in his prolific composition of hymns and sacred songs for the growing Reformation movement in 16th-century Germany.

Professor Brauer’s research has grown to the point that it is too large for an article, but not large enough for a print book. Yet, the research is too good not to share. So it is now available as an ebook which is available from here 

 As we look ahead to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, Brauer’s work is an invaluable study into how Martin Luther lived out a vibrant gift for music and the arts

Lutheran Synod Digital Publishing

Lutheran Synod Digital Publishing (LSDP) is a website dedicated to developing and publishing digital resources for Lutheran congregations.  The name “Lutheran Synod” shows that our resources can be used in various synods, but “the Lutheran Synod” also is an homage to the “nickname” of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod in the early years.  This site is affiliated with the ELS and the majority of the liturgical resources on this site are based on the historic lectionary of the ELS.

Currently they offer:
Church Year icon/symbol collections
Church Web site design
Video production
Logo design

English Lutheran Hymnal timeline

Visit https://lutheransynodpublishing.com  for more information

Resources: Luther House of Study

Luther House of Study is not a building or place, it is a mission. We work to strengthen Lutheran leadership and ministries for the proclamation of the Gospel.
Anchored in the Lutheran faith and grounded in the foundation of Lutheran education, Luther House of Study serves future ministry professionals, current ministry professionals, and congregations.
Luther House of Study offers, at no cost, online curriculum and videos for learning about the Lutheran faith and its foundation. Individuals may utilize these resources in self study while congregations or ministry professionals may find them beneficial for larger groups.

Videos and study guides are available for:

• APOSTLES CREED
• BAPTISM
• CATECHISM
• COMMANDMENTS
• GALATIANS 
• LORDS PRAYER
• REFORMATION
• WHY I AM A LUTHERAN 

Their reformation video

Visit www.lutherhouseofstudy.org to discover more

Book: Commitment to Faith: John's Gospel of Jesus

In John’s Gospel we come to realise that the author and apostle understands Jesus to be the eternal presence of God come in flesh and walking among us. 
His message points us to an eternal destiny planned for mankind to be in God’s presence. The puzzle of 'who is this Jesus?' becomes clear as we are introduced to the one who has come from heaven to open heaven’s door to us. Jesus confronts our limited temporal existence. His agenda seen in his dying for us on the cross with the resurrection that followed, gives us a greater, broader, and more meaningful perspective on life than the next political election, the state of our economy, the latest new gadget, and the next moralistic movement. 
We need to realize that our existence will cease! What then? When this truth is finally seen for what it is, then we are left with a depressive hopelessness. 
The question to ask is this: "Is this all there is to life?" To which Jesus speaks his message of hope that there is far more to come, and it begins now. As Jesus was lifted up in fulfilment of God's agenda for our salvation, so we are lifted up into his eternal presence. This divine connection changes everything, beginning for our 'here-and-now' as well as for ‘what is yet to come’.

About the Author
Pastor Dirk Willner (BTh., Grad.Dip.Min.) Ordained in June 1990 at St. Petri Lutheran Church, Nuriootpa. Serving in full time ministry in the Lutheran Church of Australia. Pastor Dirk founded the Living Word e-Ministry to share God's Word beyond the walls of the Church through inspiring and sound biblical teaching relevant in today's times. This ministry initiative aims to connect with people across the globe. His ministry encourages all to explore their faith in Christ and for Christ to grow discipleship as a way of life.