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.
Keri and my oldest son, Peter, planted a garden this summer. Unfortunately, our garden is 500 feet away from our water spigot! By the time the water travels all that distance, it has lost most of its pressure. … More Water Buckets & Extension Hoses
My Father’s Day highlight was performing “Not All Heroes Wear Capes” by Owl City with my son and for my dad in the fourth row. :) … More Father’s Day Duet
What sets good dads apart from the rest is that, while flawed and always falling short, they keep showing up and giving their best. Even on the bad days, when they’re empty and feel like they have nothing left in the tank to give, they show up anyways. … More Not All Heroes Wear Capes (Father’s Day)
If people could open up my mind and peek into my thought-world, they’d find an amusement park full of wild ideas rising and falling like rollercoasters, a hyper-colored circus full of spiritual insights roaming like elephants a under the big tent, and outside the box ministry visions shooting across my mind like clowns out of a cannon. … More A Mustard Seed Future For the Church
I love the Geico commercial where a guy who is putting down chalk lines on a baseball field starts daydreaming that he’s swerving through the mountains on his motorcycle singing, “Build Me Up Butter Cup.” He snaps out of it to find curvy chalk lines all over the baseball field. He asks, “Do you think anyone will notice?” … More “You Had Just ONE Job!”
This weekend I graduate from Northern Seminary as a Doctor of the Church specializing the historical context of the New Testament. This moment has been a long time in the making. Like 18 years! Here’s the story. … More Writing Your Dreams in Ink
Like Jesus, every preacher should have a story of being pressed into a corner and seeing fire in the eyes of an offended congregant after a sermon, unless they are in the ear-tickling business. … More How A Preacher Gets Thrown Off a Cliff Then & Now
Here’s a throwback video from 10 years ago with a basic truth we need to be reminded of regularly. I was preaching mostly to myself in this video. … More Throwback Thursday: “Wind”
After a long time apart, or online, it’s time to come back together for fellowship and worship. This summer is a great opportunity to place weekly worship and Christian fellowship back into your life as “an anchor for the soul” (Heb 6:19). Here’s a preview. … More Welcome Back, Church!
A picture is worth a thousand words. I snapped this photo this weekend. It captures a classic “calm before the storm” moment, the sun setting as the storm sets in. … More The Sun vs. The Storm
There are moments in our Christian walk when we hear the rooster crow, and realize we have blown it in our attempts to follow Jesus’ Way in our interactions with others. Let me share a story of a day when I heard the rooster crow. I looked in the mirror and didn’t like what I saw. … More Grace in a Hot Tub
Thus, Paul’s personal presence and teaching authority were weighty for sure—not due to his own superior wisdom or human capabilities, but by virtue of his claim to carry around in his body and ministry the indwelling presence, power and message of Christ by the Spirit. … More Authority, Presence & Embodied Example in Paul
In this section of my thesis, I touch a hot stove, hinting that part and parcel to the wisdom tradition of Jesus and Paul and most teachers through the ages is the acknowledgement that God gives to the church certain individuals with a special calling and training to be sages and wise experts in the spiritual life. This rubs many Americans the wrong way. … More The Intern – Scene One
I can’t explain my appreciation for and fascination with Bob Dylan. Like a good IPA on a summer day, it was an acquired taste that came slowly and gradually. … More Happy 80th Birthday, Bob Dylan!
“Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.” LUKE 15 Just a reminder that I am breathing new life into many old devotionals with my Daily Illumination Audio podcast. It’s a lot of fun to “perform” these old stories in audio format. This past week, for example, I shared this piece on Chasing Lambs. … More Chasing Lambs
Michael Wilkins introduces the rabbinic concept of shimmush which means “attending upon and coming under the personal influence of the teacher and learning from his deportment. “But shimmush itself was a study of Torah,” Wilkins continues, “because the rabbi’s life was to be an embodiment of Torah.” … More Jesus, Shimmush, and the Torah
In many parts of the West, Christians find themselves being pushed to the periphery of power and influence after centuries of privilege. Fear, anger, nostalgia, and retaliation are not how Christ’s people are to respond when their circumstances change or their cultural authority is taken away. … More Kings Rise and Fall (Skye Jethani)
In our 21st century context where students are primarily focused on the teacher’s content, and the teacher is just a vehicle for delivering “the goods,” we are far from the teacher-centric world of first century Judaism. … More Adherence to the Master
With my doctorate complete, I am turning my attention to getting my writings into print and available for purchase. I have just released The Father’s Song: The Divine Symphony of Scripture and you can purchase a copy today! … More Book Release: “The Father’s Song”
“Most problems in contemporary churches can be explained by the fact that members have not yet decided to follow Christ.” … More Quotabes: Dallas Willard
A repost from 2015. This article is also available in audio form here. I’ve heard a dozen sermons and given my own share on the story of Jesus at the home of Mary and Martha. I think they’ve all been a bit too hard on Martha and overlooked a potential danger for Mary types out there. … More Redeeming Martha: A New Spin on an Old Story
Evangelicals are well-known for working to get the “right” people in the highest places of government, hoping they will lead our nation with faith and integrity in more godly directions. The overlooked story of Fauci’s boss seems to reveal another truth. … More Vaccine Hesitancy, Evangelicals, and the Ironic Tale of Dr. Fauci’s Boss
A few words in response to the Derek Chauvin trial verdict by myself and NWC Superintendent Mark Stromberg. … More A Word on the Chauvin Trial Verdict
My thesis flows out of the sobering realization that sermon-centric pastoral ministry is inadequate to the task of bandaging hearts, healing wounds, and forming souls at the deeper levels. Dynamic preaching may grow a church, but alone it will not grow disciples. … More Leader, Preacher, or Curate of Souls?
Why is the world so messed up? Where is God in all of this? What role, if any, do Satan, angels and demons play in all this? How do we face evil and suffering in a Christ-centered way? Join us for a 6-week course on “God, Evil, & Spiritual Warfare” kicking off this Sunday! … More 6-Week Course: God, Evil, & Spiritual Warfare
Kingdom Harbor 