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Jan Kilian’s Legacy in the United States

This is an English version of a German lecture delivered by David Zersen, OhD. in Bautzen for the 200th birthday of Jan Kilian. The lectures were subsequently published in German in a book titled Jan Kilian (1811-1884) Pastor, Poet, Emigrant. Bautzen: Domowina Verlag, 2014. There is a huge difference between a bequest and a legacy. […]

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The Impact Of Environment On Artistic Expression: Understanding Mato Kosyk’s Poetry From The Perspective Of The New World

This is the English version of a manuscript, written in English and translated into German by David Zersen, PhD. that was subsequently published as a chapter in a German language book as Der Einfluss der Umgebung auf den kuenstlerischen Ausdruck: Einblicke in die Poesie von Mato Kosyk aus der Sicht der neuen Welt by Peter

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The Impact In America Of The Smallest Slavonic Nation

This manuscript by David Zersen, PhD. was subsequently published in the The Lutheran Forum as “The Impact in America of the Smallest Slavonic Nation” (2015) Most Lutherans immigrated to the United States as individuals or within a family group. However, there were interesting immigrations that arrived as large groups. Among the least known are the

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Theological Struggles In A Texas Log Cabin

A later version of this manuscript by David Zersen, PhD. was published as “An Isolated Texas Lutheran Scholar Living in Hope” in The Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly, Vol. 91, No. 2, Summer 2018. Recently an end-time mood caught me off-guard. Using the TV remote, during a manic moment of channel-switching, I chanced on a vivid,

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Wends, Aztecs, And The Conversion Of Pagans

This article by Ray Spitzenberger first appeared in IMAGES for April 16, 2020, East Bernard Express, East Bernard, Texas.             The Resurrection of our Lord, which we Christians just celebrated, was the beginning of a spiritual movement that spread all over the world. After the miraculous manifestation of the Holy Spirit at the first Pentecost,

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Easter Customs, Ethnic Foods, And The Resurrection

This article by Ray Spitzenberger first appeared in IMAGES for April 2, 2020, East Bernard Express, East Bernard, Texas.             For most Christians, Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of Jesus, is the most important festival of the Ecclesiastical Year, varying in intensity and kinds of celebration from one ethnic culture to another. Here in Texas, where

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Texas Wildflowers Bring Renewal To Troubled Hearts

This article by Ray Spitzenberger first appeared in IMAGES for March 26, 2020, East Bernard Express, East Bernard, Texas.             During this time of the “new normal” we are living in, I have found some solace in working on my collection of poems, soon to be published as a book entitled Open Prairies. We have

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Remembering Polio In These Days Of The Corona-virus

This article by Ray Spitzenberger first appeared in IMAGES for March 19, 2020, East Bernard Express, East Bernard, Texas.             This week began with numerous updates on the coronavirus and its effect on our lives, from empty grocery store shelves to a plunging stock market. As I began planning this week’s column, I wanted to

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Bushy-Tailed, Backyard Rodents Worth Two Pecan Trees?

This article by Ray Spitzenberger first appeared in IMAGES for February 27, 2020, East Bernard Express, East Bernard, Texas.             When we bought our home here in East Bernard about 45 years ago, there were oak trees in the front yard planted by Dr. Schuhmann, who developed this residential area, but no trees in the

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