Bonhoeffer Study Guide and DVD

As a big fan of his, I was excited to receive the email message below from author Eric Metaxas earlier this week.

...I have filmed a Four-part Small Group Video Curriculum on Bonhoeffer! We shot it on location, mostly in Germany, but in Poland too. I talk about Bonhoeffer while sitting at his desk in the very bedroom in Berlin where he lived and was arrested, and in the backyard of that home where the gas cannisters were buried, which contained his famous Letters and Papers from Prison. I visit the site of Finkenwalde, now just over the border in Poland, and I visit the gorgeous Igel Fraternity in Tübingen where he and his father were members. I even go inside Tegel prison, which is still operating as a prison, virtually unchanged from Bonhoeffer’s time there. It will be demolished later this year.

These four DVDs and study guide are designed for small group study, whether at home or in church, and I hope they deepen your understanding of both Bonhoeffer and his work.

Here’s a short trailer for the DVD...


The video below is from Part 1 of the series...


We attend a very small church so this would be great for our Pastor's Sunday morning Bible studies. I'll definitely be bringing it to Pastor Lunneberg's attention.

You can purchase the DVDs and Study Guide from any of these links listed below:

• CBD.com

• Amazon

• BN.com

2014 Planning for Troy's Future - Part 1

I've posted some information below on the first 2014 joint meeting of the Troy City Council and the Troy Planning Commission. I hope that one of the results of these joint meetings is a City ordinance to encourage the preservation of trees when a large piece of property is redeveloped for either a residential subdivision or a commercial use.

At the bottom of this post is a YouTube recording of the 2/11/14 joint meeting.

• Click here to view/print an article on the joint meeting that was published in the 2/17/14 Troy-Somerset Gazette.


• Click here to view/print a PowerPoint slideshow developed by Troy City staff that was presented at the February 11th joint meeting.

Protecting Religious Liberty in a Liberal Democracy

As I mentioned in a previous post, the Michigan District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod will be sponsoring a Theological Conference on Church, State, and Culture at Faith Lutheran Church in Troy on Saturday, February 15, 2014. Mary Ellyn and I decided to register for the conference and we'll be attending on Saturday.

In preparation for the conference, I've been skimming through a book I read a couple of years ago, Politics for Christians: Statecraft as Soulcraft by Francis J. Beckwith.

I like this quote by Beckwith on page 117...

If Christians in a liberal democracy believe in religious liberty and religious disestablishment, they must be conscientious in making sure that the liberties they want to enjoy are extended equitably to all citizens, even those who do not share their faith.

You can click here to purchase Dr. Beckwith's book. I'm not sure if you can still register for this Saturday's conference in Troy. Click here for the registration website.