vg@volkhardgraf.com
Walking The Good Road
Following Jesus: "Creator-Sets-Free"
The country of my birth, Germany, is facing a challenge of before unknown proportions. Hundreds of thousands of refugees, primarily from Syria are streaming into the country. They have great hopes and dreams of a safer, better life. The majority of them have faced loss of all their possessions. Many of their family members have been …
As darkness began to set, it was both horrifying and oddly beautiful to watch the firestorm race across the hillsides of our community. From the deck in my backyard, I had a front row view as the fire seemed to devour everything in its path. As brush and huge trees caught fire, I could see …
Sitting down in the small Waiting Room at the Doctor’s office, I reached for one of the daily newspaper sections scattered among the magazines and promotional materials on display. The headline article dealt with the pressing issue of the day, the recent deadly outbreak of the Ebola Virus in East Africa. As I read about …
Joe had it made. He was the youngest of ten brothers and his Dad’s favorite. He was talented, smart, and had the good looks. He also was a dreamer, at least in his brother’s eyes. One time he had a dream that he would become boss over all his brothers, which he unwisely shared with …
One of the toughest parts of pastoral ministry for me is to find words of comfort and encouragement for those who experience suffering, sickness and loss. The question of “why” was my family member taken away from me by this tragic accident, horrible sickness or senseless act of violence, most often finds no answer. When …
Here are a few quotes from the German Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was martyred under Hitler: Suffering and Rejection are the summary expression of Jesus‘ cross. Death on the cross means to suffer and to die as someone rejected and expelled. Discipleship as commitment to the person of Jesus Christ places the disciple under the …
During this week, Christians around the world remember the suffering that God’s son, Jesus, the Christ went through. The recently released movie portraying the last twelve hours of Jesus, has generated much controversy, praise, and maybe most of all new interest in how and why Christ suffered! It seems remarkable that in a world, where …
