David Bahn – Reflections

Light from the Word and through the lens

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In 1968 Jerry Snell opened a door in the hallway outside our first hour chemistry class. He invited me into what I discovered was a darkroom. Soon I was on the school newspaper and annual staff as a photographer. Later I learned that Jerry was a Lutheran who was planning to become a pastor. A few years later I was not only a Lutheran, but I was heading off to seminary to become a Lutheran pastor, too. Jerry followed a year later and served as a pastor in Missouri until his untimely heart attack and death. I thank God for Jerry and enjoy photography still today – not to mention rejoicing in having served as a Lutheran pastor in congregations in Utah, Colorado, Arkansas and Texas. I’ve retired now and serve part time as a Congregational Support Specialist for the Texas District of the LCMS. I also provide coaching and leadership training through various PLI cohorts and with individual congregations and organizations. David Bahn is a follower of Jesus Christ, husband to Diane, father and grandfather. He is an avid amateur photographer. His photo website is “Flowers by God Photos by David” He also publishes a devotional blog DavidBahn-Reflections.com. He and Diane live in Cypress Texas and enjoy visiting their grandchildren who live in the United States and Germany. He graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary in 1979, and earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1991. Diane, his wife, is now retired from PLI (PLIleadership.org). They have offered presentations on Marriage and Ministry Partnership, Leadership, Changing Your Congregation’s Culture, and Missional Living. They look are working with PLI International training pastors and wives of the ELVD Diocese of the Lutheran Church of Tanzania. David’s personal mission statement is “Leading people to realize Jesus’ calling and plans for their lives.”

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  • A Challenging Invitation

    Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.   This commandment is a challenging invitation. On the one hand it is a challenge to teach your children to honor you. Anyone with a child more than 18 months…

  • Up for Grabs

    Read Exodus 18:1-12 Moses’ father-in-law was priest of Midian; a pagan priest. And following Moses’ triumph in leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, this pagan priest makes a startling statement: “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods.” Up until that time it was up for grabs: Who is…

  • Quenched!

    Read Exodus 17:1-7 Severe thirst is not a common experience these days. Not only do we have running water almost everywhere we go, we have designer water, bottled water, reverse-osmosis filtered water, vitamin-enriched water, and even special flavorings we can add to water. We are water rich! Just last weekend I saw a woman jogging…

  • Like none other

    Read Exodus 15:11-18 “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11 – ESV) There are times when we all wonder about God’s activity – or lack of activity – in our lives. We may feel as though our prayers…

  • A Celebration of…What?!?

    Read Exodus 15:4-10 We make our crosses beautiful. We enjoy and celebrate the win, but would rather have the win at no cost. Warfare is surgical: no-troops-on-the-ground wins. We fly drones over enemy territory and turn warfare into a highly-advanced video game.   But here Moses and the people of Israel celebrate a song of…

  • Waiting for God to show up

    Read Exodus 14:10-14 What do you do when the enemy is pressing in on every side, the odds are completely against you, and God is no where to be found? If you’re Moses and the children of Israel, you do three things: “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he…

  • No Blink Zone

    Read Exodus 10:1-11 Some leaders never back down. Never give in. Never learn. Pharaoh was such a leader. Seven times previous to this encounter God has shown his power over all of Egypt and its people. Seven times Pharaoh has refused to repent and humble himself before the King of the Universe. Surely the threat…

  • God’s Mission to the World

    Read Exodus 9:1-16 The plagues that God visited on the Egyptians are more than a catalog of bad things happening to bad people. They are more than anything else a call to repentance to the Egyptians, and an invitation to see the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the true God, the King…

  • Shaken

    Hebrews 12:26-29 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot…

  • No Schmooze Zone

    I attended a class on Conflict Resolution several years ago. The professor played a filmstrip (that’s really, really old technology!) describing various congregations and the conflicts they experienced. At the end of the presentation he announced, “I agree with everything said, except the major premise.” While the presentation was not an attempt to deceive or…