keynote Speakers
The Holy Spirit’s Gift Set For Us!
Day 1 - Inspirational Keynote
The Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith” (Luther’s explanation to the 3rd Article). What wonderful things the Holy Spirit does for believers! To accomplish his saving will in our lives, the Holy Spirit has given us the Holy Scriptures, including a special portion of the Holy Scriptures: a gift-set of 150 inspired songs. This gift set is so very useful for us, in every season of life, for all occasions of life. Let’s unpack the gift set and admire its beauty.
Brad and his wife Andrea are blessed with five grown children, two of whom are married. In early January their first grandchild, Elijah David Wilson, was born. In 1992 Brad was assigned to serve as pastor at St. Paul's in Lake Mills, WI. In 1999 the family moved to Japan for gospel ministry in the Tokyo area. In 2015 Brad accepted the call to serve at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary as professor of the Old Testament and member of the Pastoral Studies Institute team. Since 2022, Brad serves as the seminary's director of continuing education.
Direction, Not Perfection: A Confessional Lutheran Approach to Spiritual Care
Day 2 - Educational Keynote
When Jesus promises his disciples “peace,” does he mean it? Can the gospel not only give us an eternal peace in the life to come, but also peace in the tumultuous world we’re living in right now? Join us as we explore how to practically apply God’s word to not only our own lives, but also the lives of our friends, by learning how to redirect our thoughts to the rock-solid truths of God. We’ll spend some time learning what God’s word has to say about faith and our emotions. And then we’ll talk through how to create habits in our lives of realigning our hearts and minds on God’s Word.
Luke Thompson (M.Div theology, M.A. philosophy) taught philosophy courses at Wisconsin Lutheran College and Bethany Lutheran College before becoming a pastor in WELS. He served eight years in Ottawa, ON, Canada, at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran, where he ministered to government workers, South Sudanese immigrants and the university students of University of Ottawa and Carleton University. For over twenty years, he has worked with and help start campus ministries, presenting internationally on apologetics, philosophy, and devotional practices. His most recent divine call is to Martin Luther College, where he teaches theology, history, and philosophy, leads a “film and philosophy” club and a Great Books club, and regularly leads workshops on spiritual care. He is author of Your Life Has Meaning (a study on Ecclesiastes and philosophy) (NPH) and co-author of Quick to Listen (NPH).