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.
“Glee” by Danny Evans This time comes but once a year, but let me make it clear that everyday we should hold the real meaning dear. This is the time of Jesus’ birth, who would give us worth here on this earth. It’s okay to give gifts, but let us not drift from what it … More Glee by Danny Evans
Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, “Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.”
Here’s an old DI classic from the winter of ’06. Enjoy! Most of us can remember sharing those childhood adventures exploring secret passages and hidden closets in the home of a friend or relative. It was always the closets tucked under the stairs that seemed the most mysterious to me. At five years of age, … More Jacob and the Wardrobe
“I am deeply convinced that the Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her vulnerable self.” In the Name of Jesus, Henri Nouwen
We all come from a diverse background. Some may be sound. Others may be a roller coaster of lost and found. No matter where we originate, where we choose to navigate despite this will say a lot about our future state. Good or bad, your past is gone. Let’s leave a legacy in which the … More Legacy (by Danny Evans)
Originally posted October 2009. -JB The following paragraphs are taken from CNN.com. This issue is not going away and the slide toward the normativity of sexual promiscuity is only growing steeper by the day. How can Christ-followers show the world the beauty of God’s design for monogamous sexual fidelity? Here’s the message the pop … More CNN: “Is Monogamy Realistic?”
Personal Journal Entry — October 7, 2014 I’ve had a profound and illuminating two nights away at my dad’s cabin in Starbuck, MN. I can hardly put into the words all of the insights and energizing thought-time I’ve had. I have spent another reassuring retreat with the pastoral teaching and wisdom of Eugene Peterson. (Three years … More Starry Night on the Prairie (10.7.14)
I recently preached a message from Psalm 126 which mentions “going out weeping” and “sowing in tears.” I used that message to encourage those of us who may be battling depression or facing difficult times to keep on “sowing” and “planting” even when you don’t feel like it, or when you don’t see immediate results. … More Sowing in Tears
Journal Entry – October 7, 2014 I spent a couple nights at dad’s cabin in Starbuck for some spiritual reflection and rest. What a gift — having a place to retreat to built with the sweat and love of your own dad! This cabin is not so much a getting away from home as it … More Little Thoughts on the Prairie (10.7.14)
God continues to make MainStreet a place for “new beginnings” and a place where amazing grace is proclaimed and experienced. Brandon was a freshman at Crown College back in 201o when we were just beginning to gather a launch team to start MainStreet. He performed at our open mic event for youth and I had … More BRANDON’S STORY: A Cry From the Pit
This is an oldie but goodie from the old DI archives from 2007. A good reminder that though we’re all broken people, we have a God who shines his grace through all the cracks of our lives. “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes … More Cracked Pot Confessions
Check out Trevin Wax’s review of Tim Keller’s book Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters (Penguin, 2009). Keller is one of my favorite Christian thinkers these days, and I find him a very insightful, articulate writer bringing clarity to very complex theological issues. He is a … More Tim Keller’s “Counterfeit Gods”
Narrative theology is a relatively new undertaking and is one good example of a positive development in theological studies, due, in part, to the influence of postmodernity.[1] I would suggest that the contributions of this movement will surprise many with numerous insights into how we might better approach the theological task, read the Bible, and … More God’s Grand Story & Our Role In It
“Go away. I don’t care what you have to say. Go take a quarter for your disorder, and see a shrink because I don’t care what you think.” That’s the mentality of our world, but Jesus changed that in a whirl. He wants to know everything going on in your life from good things to … More God Believes in You (By Danny Evans)
One of the greatest concerns I have for the emerging generation is the growing pervasiveness of “mircro-communication” in their lives. I recently saw a 15 year old girl featured on “Nightline” who sends 30,000 text messages on her phone each month. Do the math: that’s 1,000 per day, 62 per waking hour, or one … More Combatting Soundbite Christianity
This is a DI Classic post from 2007 when we were spearheading the Revolution youth movement in Mound. This relative short-lived effort ultimately gave me the vision and burden that would several years come to fruition in the planting of MainStreet. But these were lonely, uncertain times of discerning the will of God. -JB “Now … More Who’s Your Titus?
We have settled into our new home. We are hugely blessed by God and excited to share our new home with others. Enjoy some photos and come visit us soon! (Notice the rainbow — God smiled upon us the day we moved in.) :)
FROM ‘WORD STUDIES’ TO ‘THE STUDY OF THE WORD’: WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA? It is often said that it is impossible to find a needle in a haystack. Yet it also could be said that if, once found, one focuses too narrowly upon the small needle so as not to lose it again, they may … More A Puzzling Path to Glory 4 (Mark 10:45)
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ISAIAH: MARK’S STRUCTURE AND JESUS’ IDENTITY Joel Marcus has shed considerable light on the OT background to Mark’s gospel, noting especially the Isaianic influences in the words and actions of Jesus. Mark uses strategic Isaianic passages to show the reader that God is finally initiating the new exodus and ushering in … More A Puzzling Path to Glory 3 (Mark 10:45)
We closed on our new house today (8/25/14) and will begin the move later this week. So, we’re wrapping up this series of posts sharing some favorite memories from our house on Cedar Lane. When we bought our cute old house in 2006 we anticipated living here for 4-5 years until we decided to start a family and … More This Old House 5: Our First Nest
Few studies have been more timely and pin-point accurate in it’s findings than the research of Christian Smith in “Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers” concerning the religious beliefs of American teenagers. I would argue that many of these teens have learned their faith from parents with similar Christian convictions and … More American Faith: “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism”
“EITHER-OR” vs. “BOTH-AND”: HARMONIZING OLD TESTAMENT EXPECTATIONS Mark’s narrative paints a Jesus who is intentionally identifying himself with two OT figures—the Danielic Son of Man and the Isaianic Servant of YHWH; and describes his mission as the fulfillment of their drastically different destinies—the glorious triumph of the Son of Man over Israel’s enemy (“the fourth … More A Puzzling Path to Glory 2 (Mark 10:45)
Warning: This is a dry, dusty old seminary term paper…but grappling with some foundational, mind-blowing stuff worth revisiting and sharing. –JB In the introduction to his massive commentary on the second gospel, R.H. Gundry contends that “the Gospel of Mark contains…no riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma…Mark’s meaning lies on the surface. He … More A Puzzling Path to Glory 1 (Mark 10:45)
A repost from a few years back. -JB What if our faith was as real and powerful as the faith of the Apostle Paul, Peter, James and John, Mary and Lydia, Priscilla and Aquilla? What if our experience of church today was as exciting as those in the upper room at Pentecost, as action-packed as … More Cultivating an Apostolic Imagination
Next summer I will be officially ordained in the Evangelical Covenant Church (10 years after I graduated from seminary — its about time!). I’m reminded of a poignant lengthy quotation from Eugene Peterson’s The Contemplative Pastor. It’s a good reminder that we are weak and can, like Odysseus, be lured away by the sirens of people pleasing. We need God’s … More QUOTABLES: Lashed to the Mast (Eugene Peterson)
