keynote Speakers

When Life Hurts

Day 1 - Inspirational Keynote

Life’s hurts make it hard to think straight.  Whether you’re facing unfair expectations/criticism in ministry, tension with your parents/spouse/children, or physical pain that has become chronic, suffering can leave you confused, frustrated, and numb.  How do you navigate the painful seasons of life when you can’t control them or even make sense of them?  How do you avoid the “grin it/bear it/silently suffer through it” mentality that plagues all too many Lutheran leaders?

Those are the raw questions that the book of Job answers.  In this crash course study of Job, you will learn the unexpected purpose God has for your pain, what to do (and what not to do!) when a loved one is suffering, and God’s stunning answer to our most urgent question—“Why, God?”  

Life hurts, just like Jesus said it would.  But, through this ancient Scripture, you will know exactly what to do the next time it happens.

Mike Novotny has wrestled with these questions.  A recovering addict himself, Mike’s first published book focused on pornography, and his doctoral project, “Preaching on Porn,” was created to help local ministries tackle this taboo topic.  This breakout session will share wisdom gained from decades of personally ministering to believers who ache to escape the secrecy and shame of pornography and honor God with their bodies.  If you need encouragement in this battle or long to help others do the same, this breakout is for you.

Tough Doctrines, Amazing Love

Day 2 - Educational Keynote
In every age, Christians need to wrestle with doctrines that conflict with their culture’s worldview.  In our culture, some of those doctrines might be the callings of men and women, practice of church fellowship, the exercise of Christian freedom, as well as the doctrine of the two kingdoms.  This keynote will focus on these topics, get to the principles of Scripture, and distinguish between principle and application.  Using those principles, we will wrestle with applications for our setting.

David Scharf served as a parish pastor at lmmanuel in Greenville, Wis., and as coordinator for the Northern Wisconsin District Evangelism Commission from 2005-2016. He now serves as a professor of Theology at Martin Luther College. He is a member of the Institute for Worship and Outreach and chairman of the Commission on Congregational Counseling. A graduate of Luther Preparatory School (1996), Martin Luther College (2000), and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (2005), Dave and his wife Beth (nee Koelpin), have six children ages 10-21.