When the problems and crises of a sinful world intrude into our lives, it is his Word that gives us strength, comfort, and hope.

Fall seems to be the time when we settle back into a regular routine that will carry us through the next nine months. The hectic summer season of vacations, weddings, and outdoor activities has ended. The kids are back in school. The schedule at church once again features meetings, choir practices, and fellowship activities.

Is there a better time than this to settle into a faith-building routine of digging more deeply into God's Word?

Attending Sunday Bible class is one of those God-pleasing habits that will strengthen your faith, deepen your knowledge of the Scriptures, and provide a means for you to learn from your fellow Christians. In addition to Sunday morning Bible classes, many congregations offer opportunities to gather around the Word during the week in a variety of settings and formats. It's encouraging that Bible class attendance in our synod has grown over the past decade. Yet the percentage of our members taking advantage of these opportunities is still relatively small. Why not set aside some extra time with the Word—and invite a fellow member to join you?

Another way to stay connected to God's Word is the daily devotion produced by our synod. These devotions are distributed each day through e-mail. It's a convenient and easy way to start the day with the guidance and strength that comes only from God's Word. As one man jokingly said, "I'm much more likely to read this daily e-mail devotion than one in printed form, because I can't bring myself to delete God!" You can subscribe to these daily devotions at our synod's Web site at www.wels.net/subscribe. Also there are always the printed devotions of Meditations and other publications for quiet times of reflection.

There has been a lot of discussion in our synod in recent years about the importance of strengthening our congregations. After all, our synod can be strong in its mission and ministry only when our congregations are spiritually strong and healthy. Similarly, congregations can be strong in their mission and ministry only when congregation members are spiritually strong. That strength comes from only one place: from the means that the Holy Spirit uses to create and strengthen faith—the gospel in Word and sacrament, the means of grace.