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.
Happy Black Friday … um, I guess? But what if we could purchase some positivity and throw some joy and peace and love at those we meet? This has been a very difficult year for artists and musicians, unable to gig and play to crowded rooms. It’s also been a hard year for fans of … More Poetic Resonance – Buy the Gift of Positivity
Beneath the surface, sometimes even hidden from our own awareness, may lurk a more manipulative intent behind our gratitude. The believer sometimes thinks — If I offer these prayers, if I give these sacrifices, and if I show my gratitude for past blessings, then God will bless me again. … More Pure Thanksgiving (Skye Jethani)
“Beloved brethren, we are philosophers not in words but in deeds; we exhibit our wisdom not by our dress, but by truth; we know virtues by their practice rather than through boasting of them; we do not speak great things but we live them.” -St. Cyprian (AD 256) … More Words of Wisdom: Cyprian (AD 256)
If chasing worldly happiness is a “yuppie” preoccupation, then we live in a yuppie nation and breathe the oxygen of a yuppie culture. At the end of the day, however, the Bible isn’t a handbook for happiness; it’s a pathway to holiness. … More Bob Dylan on ‘Happiness’ vs. ‘Blessedness’
The Beatitudes of Bethlehem A new kind of Kingdom was born in Bethlehem that first Christmas. This was to be an upside-down Kingdom that would flip the script on who is really blessed and who is not in God’s unfolding plan. The babe in a manger would grow up in obscurity until one day he … More Advent 2020 Overview
The blessings of Bethlehem don’t fly up to the mighty on the mountaintops, but flow downward into the valleys flooded with the tears of the mourners—from Bethlehem to Sandy Hook. … More Blessed are the Emotional Wrecks
Ebenezer Scrooge had a hard time grasping and embracing the spirit and message of Christmas. The rich and self-sufficient always do. Their own personal kingdoms loom so large that they have a hard time making room for God’s Kingdom—and all the poor and lowly riff-raff to whom it belongs. … More Blessed are the Poor Shepherds
Thirty years have passed since I sat on the garage roof staring up at the night sky. The worries and cares of a middle schooler have been upgraded to the burdens of a father, husband and pastor living in this current moment of darkness and fear. Perhaps, this Advent, you also feel like we’re sitting collectively on a cold and icy roof, staring up at the Heavens and badly need to hear these words this Advent: “The people sitting in a pandemic have seen a great light, and to those sitting in the land and shadow of covid, a light has dawned on them” (Matt 4:16). … More Boyhood Epiphany on a Garage Roof
The Bethlehem Revolution is for all who find themselves at the end of their rope; for those who have hit the wall; for all who have climbed to the top of the ladder only to be pushed off, and can’t find the strength to start climbing again. … More Beatitudes of Bethlehem – Intro
Darrell Bock, in his new book Cultural Intelligence, has put his hand on the table to offer some ideas about how Christians might better engage culture by becoming both more sensitive and by keeping on mission. … More Cultural Intelligence
If you’re looking to escape to simpler times, and treat your family to a moral power wash and social media detox, I heartily recommend revisiting this classic television series together. … More Big Morals on the Prairie
Unlike Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak that allowed him to move through crowds unseen, we are to put on the cloak of Christlike character and witness so everyone can get a glimpse of the Jesus who lives in us. … More Children of the Day
The secret storm raging within me is often greater than all the storms battering the world around me. If you think a global pandemic, racial unrest, and political divisiveness is a lot to handle, try living one day inside the soul of a person at war with themselves. … More Surfing on Grace, Restoring the Soul
“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow” (Tozer). … More When the Spirit Builds the Church
This ancient shipwreck story is a timely reminder that a ship divided against itself cannot stay afloat; we must come together if we are to make it through the night. … More Shipwrecked 4: Breaking Bread in the Political Storm
When a “ship” (or society) begins to come apart at the seams, you reinforce it with what has hitherto bound it together, and toss overboard the things that are sinking it. … More Shipwrecked 3: Wise Leadership in the Political Storm
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14 This oft quoted scripture is a classic “if/then” conditional promise from God. … More God, Heal Our Land
Jonnie Goodmanson is a Christian teacher, preacher and Holy Yoga guru at our church. She is a powerful voice leading people into a more whole-bodied life of worship. People get set free when she opens her mouth or puts pen to paper. I hope to share more of her thoughts in the future. By Jonnie … More Rebuking the Ghost (Jonnie Goodmanson)
This is my “coming out” post. I’m coming out in support of chickens as emotional support animals. I know this revelation will come as a shock to many, and will be met with sneering and judgment from others. But I have Jesus on my side. Let me explain. … More Burning Cities & Emotional Support Chickens
What about abortion? Should this one issue determine how Christians vote? … More Abortion: The Reality Behind the Rhetoric
From Walter Kim, President, National Association of Evangelicals Dear friends, For U.S. citizens, the next couple weeks have many of us focused on one of the fundamental responsibilities of our citizenship: to vote, electing our governmental leaders. The right to vote is a significant responsibility – one not available to all people in our world … More Voting as Faithful Stewardship
Here’s a much needed rebuke of the erroneous charge that Christians like me who are advocating for biblical justice have somehow gone liberal or “gotten woke.” Mike Bird is a respectable biblical scholar. By Mike Bird: In my mind, acknowledging the reality of racism, discrimination, and injustice – whether historical, cultural, institutional – and determining … More War on Wokeness & Evangelical Whoring
It is important to love one’s neighbor — but in America, individual freedom is often more prized than biblical admonitions. … More Wearing Masks, Loving Neighbors & the Mark of the Beast
The Book of Jonah is a Sunday school favorite, yet hidden beneath its cartoon like drama lies a very scathing socio-religious warning—a warning aimed at the people who would claim to be on “God’s side.” … More Shipwrecked 2: Jonah and the Despised Other
Sometimes God calms the storm, but other times the ship goes down. We need to represent Christ in either case. … More Shipwrecked 1: Hymenaeus and Alexander
Jeremy Berg 