We are just a few weeks away from the day that we step into a booth and cast our votes for our elected officials. As I have pastored over the last 25 years, I have noticed that among church people these election years tend to be times of high anxiety, rivalry, and even idolatry as…
Author: Pastor Matt Clausen
Matt Clausen grew up in St. Cloud and graduated from Yale University, where he earned a degree in history. He received his Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry degrees from Bethel Seminary. For 17 years, Matt served as pastor at First Baptist Church of Minneapolis. In the fall of 2017, he became the Lead Campus Pastor at Friendship Church in Prior Lake. Matt is married to his high school sweetheart and they have two kids.
Easter is the Launching Point for Our Faith
When I was a kid, I loved Christmas and tolerated Easter. To this child, Christmas was about presents, good food, and most importantly, several days off school. Easter on the other hand was about getting dressed up in uncomfortable clothes and having to pose for lots of pictures with my family in those uncomfortable clothes….
It’s Christmas Time – Get Busy
It’s Christmas Time – Get Busy Tis the season…for people to write blogs about how busy Christmas time is. If there is something that Christian and non-Christian bloggers, podcasters, artists, and Hollywood writers can agree on, it is that the Holidays are too busy, and that you need to make them less busy. Just a…
Get Back on the Bike
Recently in a sermon, I told the story of how my daughter learned to ride a bike. In case you missed it, here are the essential details. When my daughter was five, she received her first bike. It was pink and green with tassels on the handlebars, and it had “Girl’s World” written in big…
Stop the Hectivity
One of my favorite words to describe this time of year is the word hectivity. It is a combination of the words hectic and activity, and it describes what many of us are involved in during the month of December as we add parties for work, family gatherings, special church events, shopping, planning and more,…