Category: News

 A Higher Things Day Retreat for Youth and Adults!

If you have never been to a Higher Things conference, but would like to see for yourself what they’re like, mark your calendar for this one-day retreat in southeast Texas.

This unique “Higher Things for a Day” will feature great catechesis from local pastors – teaching on the subjects they have taught at past Higher Things conferences. And you’ll worship using services from the Lutheran Service Book, just like would at a Higher Things conference.

Bring your youth, parents, elders, youth leaders and pastors and find out what Higher Things is all about!

Where: Living Word Lutheran Church
The Woodlands, Texas
Approximately 1 hour north of Houston.

When: Saturday, September 26, 2009
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Lunch provided.

Cost: Free-will offering.

RSVP: Lynea Sander – (832) 722-3170 or lynealeia@higherthings.org

 Higher Things is extremely excited to share with you a selection of copyrighted hymnody from the Sola conferences this summer.  Thanks to Concordia Publishing House we’ve obtained permission to release several copyrighted hymns for limited downloads.  These new hymns include the versification of Te Deum sung during Thursday Matins, “We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God” (LSB 941) written by Stephen Starke, as well as the settings of “A Mighty Fortress” (LSB 656), “Dear Christians, One and All Rejoice” (LSB 556) and “O Love, How Deep” (LSB 544).

These hymns can be downloaded through the Sola 2009 Media page.  A FREE Higher Things Account is required to download these hymns in order to aide us in tracking the total number of downloads for permissions purposes.  If you do not have a Higher Things Account head on over to the register page and sign up now, it’s FREE and easy!  Each user is entitled to a single download of each hymn through our website.

Enjoy!

Greetings in Christ!  Once again we are very happy to share you more live recordings of hymnody from our Sola 2009 conferences.  In this week’s installation we’ve added “God’s Own Child I Gladly Say It” (Lutheran Service Book 594) and “I Bind unto Myself Today” (Lutheran Service Book 604) to our new Sola 2009 Media page.  These hymns, their tunes and the settings used are all public domain and can be freely downloaded.  They will be made available until Monday, August 17 at which point we will archive them for HT-Online subscribers.  If you mised last week’s installment, be sure to sign up for HT-Online today!

Higher Things is very pleased to offer more audio from our Sola 2009 conferences!  HT-Online members can now listen to Pastor Weedon’s plenaries recorded live at the Grand Rapids conference as well as another hymn, “Christ is the World’s Redeemer” (Lutheran Service Book 539) from the HT-Online user page.  Head on over to HT-Online and click on the Sola 2009 resources page to start listening to your audio, or click here to go there right away.

Just as a reminder, if you were a group leader to either of the Sola 2009 conferences this year we’ve given you complimentary access to HT-Online through the end of August.  If for some reason you were a group leader and don’t seem to have access, drop the webmaster a line over at the contact page.

If you’re not an HT-Online subscriber, subscribing is EASY and it opens up a wealth of great premium content to you, including the magazine online (past and current issues), exclusive bible studies, early access to HT-Radio and great audio from our summer conferences.  You can sign up for an annual subscription rate of $25 by clicking here.

Now that we’re all back home and settled in after exciting weeks in San Antonio and Grand Rapids for this year’s Sola conferences you might be wondering… What’s next?  Well, there’s next year with “Given” in Memphis, TN and Logan, UT!  But in the mean time we thought you might enjoy a recording of this year’s conference hymn, “By Grace I’m Saved” (LSB 566) from the Sola – Grand Rapids, MI conference.  We’ve posted it online at http://sola2009.org for your listening enjoyment.  You’ll need QuickTime in order to play the audio clip, which can be obtained for FREE here.  Most people will already have this plugin installed, but if you go to the site and don’t see a media player, than hop on over to the QuickTime website and download the plugin.

Please, don’t forget to share this link and resource with your friends, family and parishioners!  Keep an eye out on our website because in the coming weeks we hope to be posting more audio from our conferences on our website for your listening enjoyment!

Lastly…  If you haven’t had a chance yet to send your pictures in, it’s not too late!  We’re especially looking for pictures from our San Antonio conference.  Simply attach them to an e-mail and send them to: pictures@higherthings.org

Higher Things presents the next set of Daily Reflections for August 2 through September 5, 2009. These Daily Reflections will deliver Christ crucified and Christ giving His gifts through the B.A.G.S. as we continue through the Trinity Season. To download the Reflections in a printable booklet format, click here.

Higher Things has the next batch of Daily Reflections ready for you to download! These Reflections cover June 28 through August 1, 2009. With reflections on the readings for the Trinity Season, the Catechism and the Daily Lectionary, these Reflections will daily deliver Jesus and point you to Him through His Word and Sacraments. These Reflections are written by Pastor Greg Schultz, Campbell Hill, Illinois, and HT’s own Internet Services editor, Pastor Mark Buetow, Du Quoin, Illinonis. To download the Reflections in a printable booklet, click HERE.

Curious about what goes on at a Higher Things conference? Come join us for day at SOLA-San Antonio and find out! Registration for Higher Things for a Day (HTFAD) is now open. Your $50 registration fee includes conference materials, a T-shirt, and if you register for Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, even includes lunch.  Download the registration form here. For the safety of our youth participants all HTFAD participants must pre register with the registrar. Registration forms are due June 20, 2009, so don’t delay. Register now!

The summer issue of Higher Things is on its way to the printer and will soon be in the mail, just in time to carry on the plane with you as you jet off to the Higher Things summer conferences. Inside, you’ll find plenty to keep you occupied while you travel. We’ve got stories on what the differences between guys and girls, what to think of the Twilight series, why the media tells you you’re not good enough, what to do when you grow up, and how you can demonstrate your belief in the sanctity of life. 

Another must-read is an article on apologetics—defending the faith—that can teach you how to stand up against people who are skeptical of Christianity. We’ll also fill you in on whether Lutherans need to go green, what it means for you when Jesus says that He is the Alpha and Omega, and how teenagers can deal with the a crummy economy (Let’s face it. Mom and Dad aren’t just throwing twenty dollar bills at you like they used to do!). You can read up on pastors who wear clerical collars, why Kathy Luder has chickens on the brain, and, of course, get your daily dose of the Catechism. Watch your mailboxes! Or click here to subscribe.

We are pleased to announce that we have recently added seven new Christ on Campus Chapters. There are now forty-three Christ on Campus Chapters in twenty-four states.

The newest Christ on Campus Chapters include:

• Faith Lutheran Church, Groton, CT
  (UConn – Avery Point, Mitchell College, Connecticut College, the Coast Guard Academy & the Navy Submarine School)
• Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Boise, ID
  (Boise State University)
• Messiah Lutheran Church, Kenosha, WI
  (Carthage College, UW-Parkside and Gateway Technical College)
• Our Redeemer Ev. Lutheran Church, Smithfield, RI
  (Rhode Island College, Providence College, Brown University & the Rhode Island School of Design)
• Our Savior Lutheran Church, Grand Rapids, MI
  (Grand Valley State University, Calvin College, Aquinas College & Davenport University)
• Saint Barnabas Lutheran Church, Sault Ste. Marie, MI
  (Lake Superior State University)
• St. Paul Lutheran Church, Austin, TX
  (University of Texas; Concordia University)

The interest in the Christ on Campus network and our Chapter program continues to grow daily. Click here to learn more about all our Christ on Campus chapters..

Rev. Marcus Zill, Executive
Higher Things, Christ on Campus

“Confessing Christ on Campus Since 1517”