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.
As the party died down and people began to disperse, Jesus offered me a tour of the Father’s cabin. “Now, as you probably already know in my Father’s house there are many rooms,” he said tongue in cheek. I chuckled as he quoted himself again. “Yes, I’ve heard.” As I mentioned earlier, the cabin was … More Cabin 09: It Just Keeps Going
“Now [God] uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But … More Mailbox Podcast: “Smells Like Death”
“Man, I look good!” I said to myself as I tried on a new shirt and sport coat at Target this week. I rarely buy new clothes — maybe a couple new shirts each year and some new jeans when the old ones get too “holy” even for our church! As we continue our study of 1 … More Clothes Shopping with Apostle Peter (1 Peter 2:1)
I took in the beautiful landscape as we approached the cabin door. “Everybody’s waiting to meet you,” Jesus said. Gulp. Now what? I was anticipating a private weekend alone with Jesus. I was hardly in the mood for a party. As the door opened on the small cabin a rush of joyous noise greeted me. … More Cabin 08: Cabin Bash
As we neared the Father’s Cabin, I began to imagine what it would look like. Would it be a magnificent mansion on an imposing hill? Would it have all the modern conveniences of a royal summer resort? So far all my expectations had been turned upside down, so I tried not to even bother guessing. Jesus, … More Cabin 07: Come & See
This is a timely repost from about 2011 when MainStreet was just getting launched. It was during another local election season where people were passionately campaigning for and against a school referendum. You can sense my urgency and deep burden for our local community. Regardless how we vote on November 8, may we vote Jesus leader of our lives … More Political Fervor & Christian Apathy
Tonight will be the third and final presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. It promises to be another 2 hours of childish mudslinging and below-the-belt personal attacks. This election cycle has become such a circus (or train wreck) that people are watching in record numbers. Young people are throwing viewing parties much like … More “I Approve this Message!”(1 Peter 1:22-2:3)
I’m sure you’re wondering what its like to go on a road trip and ride shot gun with Jesus. Several things stand out from that surreal ride to the Father’s Cabin. First, Jesus was in no hurry! We were being passed all the way there. “Why are people in such a hurry?” Jesus commented. “Even while heading … More Cabin 06: Scenic Overlooks & Antique Shops
Here’s a sweet and thoughtful video our church put together for Keri and I for Pastor Appreciation Month. All I can say in return is “Thanks for being such a fun, grace-filled, caring and committed church family to lead.” I hear other pastors complain about the shenanigans they have to put up with — petty … More Feeling the Love at MainStreet!
I was awake well before the sunrise. I paced the house, deep in thought. What will it be like to meet Jesus face to face? How should I address him? A handshake? A hug? Should I fall down prostrate in worship? Should I offer him some toast and orange juice? My thoughts were both practical and ridiculous … More Cabin 05: Meeting Jesus
After a short snooze, I awoke. Restless. Nervous. No sign of my family anywhere. I still had no sense of time, and my surroundings still looked altered in some inexplicable way. Familiar and yet strange. Hazy yet somehow clearer than ever before. I tossed and turned, trying to sleep. How could anyone sleep with the … More Cabin 04: Riding Shotgun
Here’s a timely repost from 2010. -JB It’s that time of year again. The leaves are turning colors and the trees are raining down acorns like rogue astroids in our backyard. They’re more plentiful this year than ever before at our home. I literally need to shovel off the deck every morning to avoid a … More Squirrel Spirituality
For those who are struggling to support either candidate in this upcoming election, Ed Stetzer has a great series of posts at The Exchange blog at Christianity Today. This one below provides interesting food for thought. Note: I have no idea who this 3rd party candidate is, and am not hereby supporting him. But I resonate … More 2016 Election – Food for Thought
Can you imagine a weekend at Jesus’ lake cabin? Join us for this summer series. … More Cabin 03: Traveling Light
Join us as we continue our journey through 1 Peter verse by verse! Last post we explored 1:13-16 where Peter helps us set our hopes not on any earthly hope but on the salvation realities found in Christ. In a world driven about by knee-jerk emotionalism and untamed desires, we are called to be driven instead by minds … More Why Fear a God of Love? (1 Peter 1:17-19)
My heart nearly lept out of my chest with excitement. And yet the lump in my throat was hard to swallow. I was paralyzed with delightful dread at the thought of a personal invitation from Jesus. “What kind of an invitation?” I asked. Again, still wondering who the prankster was on the other end of the … More Cabin 02: The Invitation
I was jolted out of a deep and dreamy sleep by my vibrating cell on my night stand. Light beamed through the crack in my window shade, a sharp focused ray of sunshine right in my face. Blinded and disoriented, I fumbled for my phone. As my eyes adjusted, the room looked somehow different. The … More Cabin 01: The Voice
Hope is a rare commodity these days. The fashions of the day are cynicism, anxiety and self-indulgence. With violence and discord stealing the headlines daily, we tend toward one of three different coping mechanisms (or a combination of the three): Our minds grow cynical in the midst of confusion and ideological impasses in the public discourse. … More Activate the Mind, Stoke the Fires of Hope (1 Peter 1:13-16)
Christianity Today (September ’16) featured the findings of a LifeWay Research survey that asked 2,000 people who do NOT attend church what would draw them to one. The results were revealing: Skye Jethani, on the Phil Vischer Podcast, insightfully asked the following question while discussing this survey: What does it say about our deepest concerns and highest … More A Non-Anxious Presence in an Anxious World
Originally posted on Kingdom Harbor:
“A huge crowd…trailed after them… swarms of people who had heard the reports and had come to see for themselves. He told his disciples to get a boat ready so he wouldn’t be trampled by the crowd… Now everyone who had something wrong was pushing and shoving to get near…
In Paul’s letter to Timothy, his young apprentice and “son in the faith,” Paul mentions 10 important things that Timothy knows full well about Paul’s own life and faith journey. So, I’m very excited to share a guide to help others have 10 spiritual legacy conversations based on 2 Timothy 1:5, 3:10, 14 (see below). How … More 10 Spiritual Legacy Conversations
Originally posted on Kingdom Harbor:
I’m reposting this article as we begin our series on the Sermon on the Mount. Every time I go back to this Kingdom Manifesto, I’m reminded by how easily Christians today boil Christianity down to private piety, overlooking the fact that Jesus calls his followers, the church, to be a…
“God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. . . . The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you’re … More Gospeling in Corinth 4: God-Taught
1-2You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified. 3-5I was unsure of … More Gospeling in Corinth 3: God-Empowered
Kingdom Harbor 