Author: Jeremy Berg

The Rev. Dr. Jeremy Berg is the founding and lead pastor of MainStreet Covenant Church in Minnetonka Beach, MN, where he has served since 2010. He is an adjunct professor of Biblical and Theological Studies who has taught classes at Bethel University, University of Northwestern—St. Paul, North Central University, Crown College, and Solid Rock Discipleship School. Jeremy earned a doctorate in New Testament Context under Scot McKnight at Northern Seminary (Chicago). He and his wife, Kjerstin, have three kids, Peter, Isaak and Abigail.

Immigration, Dreamers & Moving Mountains

June 3, 2024

When I graduated from high school someone gave me a copy of Dr. Seuss’ Oh the Places You’ll Go! The optimism of that coming-of-age moment was wrapped up in the promise near the end of that book: “And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.) KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!” This graduation season, I’ve been thinking and praying about a group of graduates for whom success seems a lot less certain than Dr. Seuss’ appraisal. … More Immigration, Dreamers & Moving Mountains

Weighty Thoughts: On Depression

May 31, 2024

This week a PGA golfer was found dead in his home by suicide at the age of 30. He had battled depression and anxiety for years, being quite open about his struggles. I have also faced recurring bouts with depression and anxiety. I call it a “dark cloud” that occasionally settles over my thoughts and emotions, blocking out the light and leaving me in the shadows. Psalm 139 can help us through the darkness and back into the light. … More Weighty Thoughts: On Depression

Exiles: The Book We’ve Needed

May 30, 2024

Politics are dividing our churches like never before. Preston Sprinkle’s new book reminds us that the first-century church was not an apolitical gathering, where Christians left their Roman politics at the door. It also wasn’t a place where Christians mounted a Roman flag next to—or above—a Christian one. Church was a place where God’s plan for governing the world was revealed, where one could witness what it means to follow the Creator’s design for human flourishing. … More Exiles: The Book We’ve Needed

Fallen Birds & Politics

May 24, 2024

These are the ridiculous, tongue-in-cheek thoughts of a person foolish enough to bring the noise and rancor of human politics with him on his walk into the quiet and peaceful world of nature. The main lesson to glean from this is to not repeat my mistake and let nature be a temporary respite from the politics of the City of Man.  … More Fallen Birds & Politics

“Here, Kitty, Kitty!”

May 22, 2024

My mom took us three kids to the mall when we were at prime begging age. Mom probably intended to simply return something and come home empty handed. Instead, she came home with a kitten from the mall pet store. That lucky kitten was rescued from bondage, adopted into a new family, and brought into a new realm of life and possibilities. Let’s explore Romans 8:12-17 in this light. … More “Here, Kitty, Kitty!”

The Israel-Palestinian Conflict with Preston Sprinkle

May 21, 2024

Mainstream media fails to depict the true reality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a Christian perspective. The “Theology in the Raw” podcast features diverse viewpoints, including a Gazan Christian theologian advocating for nonviolent resistance, an Orthodox Jewish Zionist working for reconciliation, and a scholar questioning blind support for Israel from a New Testament perspective. The media coverage’s failure to capture the complexity of the conflict is also highlighted. … More The Israel-Palestinian Conflict with Preston Sprinkle

Crooked Lines

May 17, 2024

While carpenters and civil engineers, building codes and inspectors have good reasons for requiring straight walls and level foundations, the Creator of the universe seems to have other ideas. Humans prefer flat roads and level bridges and right angles and flush edges and symmetrical designs. Meanwhile, God delights in crooked lines and twisted branches and snaking rivers and sloping hillsides and asymmetrical formations.  … More Crooked Lines

Dry Bones TV Network

May 16, 2024

Today I compare God’s transforming power to a home renovation project, emphasizing the importance of visualization and imagination. Did you know Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones played a pivotal role in the launch of MainStreet? I share how and explore the need for God’s transformative breath to revive and transform souls, and the need for a vivid, colorful vision of God’s desired future for us to enliven dead faith. … More Dry Bones TV Network

The Exterminator

May 15, 2024

She wore a white jumpsuit with red lettering and had a sprayer on her back—a modern day ghost buster save the modified 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Sentinel ambulance. And she was exterminating bugs, not trapping ghosts. She was spraying around the church as I parked my car one morning. She had a pleasant face and innocent demeanor—not the look of a mass murderer. … More The Exterminator

Holy Ground

May 13, 2024

I like this image of walking into nature, sauntering in search of Holy Land—our own enchanted forest, a private Holy of Holies by a bubbling brook, a stairway descending from Heaven where we sense God’s angels among us. Like Jacob awakening from his wilderness dream in Gen. 28, we go sauntering in hopes that God will use nature to rouse us from our spiritual slumber and make our trail the gate of heaven. … More Holy Ground

The Untamed Word

May 9, 2024

As much as Evangelicals talk about having a personal relationship with Jesus, many of us in practice have more of a personal relationship with the Bible. Does God stand wild and free behind, above, beneath, and around the text, poised to pounce and prod us by the Spirit? Or, like Thomas Jefferson, do we stand over the text, combing it for principles we admire, while denying the presence of the supernatural? … More The Untamed Word

Truth Bomb

May 7, 2024

The “truth” has always been a slippery thing, easily manipulated, easily spun, misplaced or lost in the couch cushions of public discourse. The atomic, bone rattling, earth-shaking radioactive Truth Bomb of the ages is that since the incarnation of the Word, all human ideas, arguments, concepts, abstractions, formulas, presentations, editorials, principles, etc. of “truth” must now stand before and buckle its knees in the presence of the Truth Incarnate. … More Truth Bomb

Jesus, Travel Agent

May 2, 2024

We walked into the travel agency and nervously picked through the brochures on the wall, each advertising exotic destinations filled with sun and ocean-scapes. We were teenagers dreaming and scheming about our senior trip that spring. After much deliberation and bargaining with our parents, me and my five best friends were preparing for a spring break cruise together in the Caribbean. … More Jesus, Travel Agent

Imago Vita: Contemplating God’s Work in You

April 30, 2024

Many of us know the Bible’s promises, but don’t experience God in a dynamic way. Our prayer life is dull. We’re bored singing worship songs. We’re brought to tears watching a movie, but feel nothing reading the Bible. It’s time to come to our senses—literally. Join us for a new series exploring the role of imagination and multi-sensory spirituality. … More Imago Vita: Contemplating God’s Work in You

Your Chariot Awaits!

April 24, 2024

The passage from Acts 8:26-40 reminds us to be open to the Spirit’s leading, even when we don’t understand why. Jeremy then offers a spiritual reading of the Ethiopian’s “Chariot” encouraging us to seek out spiritual mentors and sacred spaces where we can go for “chariot chats”: asking questions, grappling with Scripture, learning and worshiping and growing together. … More Your Chariot Awaits!

The Saunterer

April 23, 2024

I’m writing a field guide for discipleship conversations along the trail. To get in the mood, I’m re-reading Henry David Thoreau’s essay on “Walking.” In 1845 he built himself a hut on the edge of Walden Pond, and lived there in solitude for two years, keeping a journal. He opens with the fascinating origins of the word “saunter.” Check it out! … More The Saunterer

Podcast #141 – The Good Shepherd

April 17, 2024

This podcast series explores the question of who or what influences our lives, drawing on Psalm 23. It emphasizes the contrast between the true shepherd, Jesus, and false shepherds like Fear and Addiction. Jeremy discusses the concept of the “Good Life” and upcoming episodes will delve into topics such as Addiction, Worry, Depression, and Financial Debt. … More Podcast #141 – The Good Shepherd