Find the latest news about what’s going on in Higher Things.
Higher Things announces the 2016 Lent and Holy Week Reflections! These daily devotions deliver the Good News of the Savior who went to Calvary for you. Download them now as a booklet or in a variety of other formats at higherthings.org/reflections.
In Christ,
Rev. Mark Buetow
reflections@higherthings.org
Media Executive
The topic for the 2016 McHenry Retreat has been updated. The theme of the retreat is now Come at me Bro! Devil, World and Sinful Nature vs. Baptized Child of God. Join us at Zion Lutheran Church in McHenry, IL on March 4th & 5th.
There are lots of ways the devil, the world, and our sinful natures try to derail our faith in Jesus. They seek to test us away from Christ, but Jesus defeated temptation and overcame sin and death for you. At this retreat we’ll look at how the Spirit fights for us with the gifts of Jesus to keep us from temptation and evil. We’ll hear of the challenges the world presents and learn how to answer each one with Jesus and His Word, and see how he rescues us from all these things and keeps us in the faith through His Holy gifts.
Join us in McHenry to hear from Rev. Mark Buetow on how the Spirit triumphs over our sinful nature as a baptized child of God. Pastor Buetow serves Bethel Lutheran Church in DuQuoin, IL and is the Media Executive for Higher Things, Inc.
When: March 4-5, 2016
Where: Zion Lutheran Church | McHenry, IL
Cost: $50 per person
Contact: Rev. George Borghardt | 815-385-0859 or revborghardt@gmail.com
Higher Things is pleased to announce the 2016 Epiphany and Pre-Lent Reflections. This batch covers from January 6 through February 9, 2016. (Please NOTE: This batch starts in the middle of the week, on Epiphany; churches wishing to print should have them available to hand out before that.) You can download the Reflections as a printable booklet here and in a variety of other formats at higherthings.org/reflections.
In Christ,
Rev. Mark Buetow
reflections@higherthings.org
Media Executive
In the month since Bread of Life 2016 registration opened, both the Colorado and Tennessee conferences are over 30% full — and Iowa is not far behind! While the first deadline for registration payments isn’t until the end of January, two of the three conferences last year reached capacity between Christmas and New Year’s. Now is the time to get those registrations and deposits in!
Higher Things is pleased to announce the Advent and Christmas Reflections! Covering the season of Advent and the Twelve Days of Christmas, this batch of daily devotions runs from November 29, 2015 through January 5, 2016. You can download the Reflections as a printable booklet here and in a variety of other formats at higherthings.org/reflections.
In Christ,
Rev. Mark Buetow
reflections@higherthings.org
Media Executive
Higher Things announces the next installment of Daily Reflections. This set of Daily Reflections covers the last four weeks of the Church Year from Trinity 22 through the Last Sunday, November 1 through 28, 2015. You can download the Reflections as a printable booklet here and in a variety of other formats at higherthings.org/reflections.
In Christ,
Rev. Mark Buetow
reflections@higherthings.org
Media Executive
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
Jesus is the Bread of Life. He is the bread that came down from heaven. Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness and they all died. Jesus is the bread that a man may eat and never die. Believing in His Words and promises, receiving His Body and Blood, we live forever.
We are very excited to announce that the 2016 Higher Things conferences will rejoicing in Jesus being the “Bread of Life.” We will receive His Words. We will eat His Body and drink His Blood. We will live forever.
Youth need solid ground that will nurture lasting Christian faith. At Higher Things conference, you’ll hear the same pure doctrine of forgiveness, life, and salvation you are already hearing at home. you’ll spend four great days worshipping and learning with Lutherans from all over the country, while getting a taste of college life. Every year, youth return home with a greater appreciation of what it means to be distinctly Lutheran. Come Dare to be Lutheran and join in the fun at a Higher Things youth conference this summer!
For more information download the registration packet.
Registration opens November 1st at breadoflife2016.org.
Higher Things is pleased to announce the next set of Daily Reflections, for the 17th through the 21st weeks after Trinity, September 27 through October 31, 2015. You can download a printable booklet by clicking here or in a variety of other file formats here.
In Christ,
Rev. Mark Buetow
reflections@higherthings.org
Media Executive
Rev. Mark Buetow – Media Executive
In the summer issue of Higher Things magazine, HT published an article entitled “A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break.” This article was also shortly thereafter posted on the Higher Things website. The author is the Rev. Greg Eilers, a retired LCMS pastor who suffers from gender dysphoria. His article describes his struggle with gender dysphoria and his desire to remain male while feeling in his brain that he is female. Some readers expressed various concerns that Higher Things handled this issue inappropriately by giving a platform to a man who is plainly suffering from this mental illness and that doing so would result in confusion to youth and other readers of the magazine and website. In response, we attempted to clarify that Higher Things was not condoning a person’s physical transition from living as a male to living as a female or suggesting that transitioning was a God-pleasing “treatment” of gender dysphoria. We believe that such a transition is contrary to God’s Word.
When the article was solicited and printed, Rev. Eilers was at a point where he was hoping to “beat” his illness. Higher Things received Rev. Eilers article, it was evaluated to be doctrinally sound, and was printed/posted in the hope that we were hearing the voice of one whose struggle to remain living as a male was being won in Christ. However, in his most recent blog posts, Greg Eilers has announced that he has decided to move ahead with the treatments and process of finally transitioning from living as a man to living as a woman. We were saddened to hear that he has chosen this course of action and do not believe it to be a solution in keeping with God’s Word.
Christ and His love for the church are the very reality which stand behind God’s creation of human beings as male and female. His love for the church is the true marriage of which all earthly marriage is to be a picture. When it comes to gender dysphoria (or depression or alcoholism, or any other ways sinners are assaulted by the devil, the world, and their sinful flesh) this fact holds true: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15). “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. Whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)
The article was originally published for two main reasons: (1) To bring about discussion on the topic and (2) to hear from an individual who is struggling with gender dysphoria, who recognizes the struggle, and who confesses Christ as his only hope. HT has always attempted to tackle difficult topics such as addiction, depression, and abuse in articles, conference breakaway sessions, videos, and other media, and in doing so, to point readers and hearers to Christ alone.
Some have said that our article on gender dysphoria could have been better. We agree. There is always room for improvement and the online article was edited soon after its posting in consultation with the author. Some have said it was not a good idea that we include the author’s solicitation of friend requests on Facebook. We also agree, and so we removed that from the online bio. Most HT articles include an author’s contact information, but the sensitive nature of this topic and the way that Eilers subsequently used his Facebook wall as a forum to process his daily struggles suggests that we should have omitted that particular means of contact. Some think that Higher Things supports Greg Eilers’ decision to live as a woman. We do not. Some want us to categorically condemn and reject him for doing so. We will instead mourn. We will pray that Rev. Eilers’ own hope which he expressed will be true on the Last Day, namely, that He will stand before His Savior as a man in the resurrection. Finally, we encourage all our readers and supporters to take up the loving task of learning all we can about gender dysphoria and other mental illnesses, living out our vocations as Christians, and bringing to bear upon those neighbors who struggle under this cross the blessed Good News of the Lamb whose blood was shed to secure our place beside Him in Paradise. That is what it means to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). And this is Higher Things, after all, which means that if we’re going to be talking about “gender dysphoria,” then, like everything else, it’s just another opportunity to be talking about Jesus Christ our Savior.
Rev. Mark T. Buetow is the Media and Deputy Executive of Higher Things.
Higher Things announces the next set of Daily Reflections are now available. Covering the weeks of Trinity 11 through 16, August 16 through September 26, 2015. As always, these daily devotions are full of the Gospel and ready for you to download as a printable booklet or in a variety of other formats here.
In Christ,
Rev. Mark Buetow
reflections@higherthings.org
Media Executive
Higher Things, Inc.
