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The opening verses of Matthew 5 are commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. Each of the nine beatitudes begins with “Blessed are . . .” and then provides a condition for blessing… Read More
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5, ESV I read the opening verses of John this morning and the phrase quoted above grabbed my… Read More
“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.” Jonah 4:1, ESV Those of us who have been in the church for a while can read or hear Bible stories without allowing o… Read More
Human institutions must put their continuance as a very high if not the highest, priority. They must promote the organization’s welfare over the benefit of one of the members. Members… Read More
The opening verses of James are familiar to anyone who has been in the church for a while. But when we slow down long enough to consider them closely, we have to ask some questions. &ldq… Read More
In Deuteronomy 9, Moses recounts some of the history of the Israelites during the time when he lead them. He recounts how angry he was when they rebelled against God and disregarded the mess… Read More
“Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 9:3 (ESV) When the Israelites were to enter the promised land of… Read More
In some social systems (families in particular) it is customary to participate in triangular communication. I grew up in such a family and have much experience with this ineffective communic… Read More
This afternoon, the following passage stood out for me as I was reading Tim Keller’s, The Meaning of Marriage: “The Holy Spirit ‘will bring glory to me by taking from w… Read More
See if these words give voice to what you might be feeling as you watch or read your favorite news outlet: “How long, Lord, must I call for help and you do not listen or cry out to… Read More
I have greatly enjoyed the song “There was Jesus” sung by Zach Williams and Dolly Parton. I thought I would use a post to share the song with you. If you are not familiar wit… Read More
The story of Gideon has been on my mind all day today. If you are not familiar with Gideon, the story can be found beginning in Judges 6. In particular, I have wondered about what Gideon… Read More
When Jesus gathered his disciples for the last time before his death, something unexpected happened as recorded in John 13: “Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into hi… Read More
On my walk this morning, I was thinking and praying about all the brokenness in and around me. Specifically, I think of all the injustice I encounter and how our culture condones and sometim… Read More
In my previous post, I quoted these words of Jesus: “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:29, CSB When I think of all the times t… Read More
It is one thing to know about grace, it is entirely another to live as if grace is real. I was reminded today of the many ways that I have chosen to live as if I am not under the grace of Go… Read More
Anyone who is old enough to have gotten past middle school has had or currently has someone in their life who is a critical voice. Perhaps it is a boss who uses putdowns to “motivate&r… Read More
Oh, how I wish the prosperity preachers were right. Life would be much more enjoyable if everyone who came to faith in Jesus had a life free of conflict and difficulty. But they are not… Read More
It’s a presidential election year in my country so the candidates and the news outlets that support them are ramping up the rhetoric about how bad things are and how much worse they wi… Read More
“. . . behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2, CSB The phrase quoted above will likely be familiar to those who have been in church for a while. Normally it… Read More
“Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful things, not acting deceitfully or distorting the word of God, but commending ourselves before God to everyone’s conscience by an… Read More
In my previous post, I commented on internal fears that can influence how we approach life. I am becoming increasingly aware of the influence of fear in my own life. As I contemplated this i… Read More
There are many things to fear in a fallen, broken, and messed-up world. Nearly all of them are things that are beyond our control. These external forces can make us uncomfortable; if we are… Read More
Here is a proverb that should greatly influence our speech and social interaction. “Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent.” Pr… Read More
Commentators are nearly unanimously agree that Chapter 12 is a turning point in the Letter to the Romans by the Apostle Paul. In the first 11 chapters, Paul lays down foundational teachi… Read More
The phrase, “And the LORD spoke to Moses . . .” is repeated often in the book of Leviticus. That phrase introduces each new revelation from God to the nation of Israel. There… Read More
This post is a continuation of focus on Philippians 4:8 in which Paul gives us a strategy for managing our thoughts and channeling them in a positive direction. The verse reads: “F… Read More
I think that everyone who has made it through middle school has faced some form of rejection. The feelings of not fitting in and the constant pressure to conform to some undefined standard a… Read More
What would the world look like if we took James seriously and worked hard at putting this command into practice? “My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be… Read More
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we… Read More
“Speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom. For judment is without mercy to the one who has not shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:13-13… Read More
I recently read or listened my way through Psalm 119 and found many of the verses particularly encouraging. As a result, I thought it would be good to slow down and meditate on this psalm. T… Read More
In America, we like leaders who are bold, outspoken, and visionary (whatever that means). Come election time, we love to see candidates who can hold their own in debates even if they are bra… Read More
I have heard it said that at any given moment, a person is in a period of suffering, has just come out of a period of suffering, or will soon be entering a period of suffering. As Christ… Read More
“When I feel self-righteous, it means I’m afraid. It’s a way to puff up and protect myself when I’m afraid of being wrong, making someone angry, or getting blamed.&r… Read More
When Moses returned to Egypt to announce God’s plan for removing Israel from the yoke of slavery, his message was welcomed by the leaders of Israel as recorded in Exodus 4. “… Read More
This post is a continuation of focus on Philippians 4:8 in which Paul gives us a strategy for managing our thoughts and channeling them in a positive direction. The verse reads: “F… Read More
We live in an age where we can only consume a small fraction of the information that is available to us. We are bombarded by announcements of things we should be concerned about along with a… Read More
This morning I listened to the story in Exodus 3 of Moses encountering the burning bush. As I listened to it, the thought came to me that life as a Christian would be so much easier if Go… Read More
Theologians categorize the attributes of God into two categories. The categories are communicable and incommunicable. Communicable attributes are those which God has passed on to humans. The… Read More
A short note today to wish everyone a Happy Easter in 2023. The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that Evil will not win and that anything is possible with God. Blessings to you toda… Read More
To Be Seen By Others.
“They do all their deeds to be seen by others” Matthew 23:5a, ESV Years ago, I attended a large church that occupied one corner of an intersection of two major roads. The sta… Read More
When Joseph and his brothers returned to Egypt from burying their father in Canaan, this interaction took place: “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they… Read More
Last month, as I was sitting on the balcony of a cruise ship, a large cloud passed between the ship and the sun, causing me to wish for the cloud to pass and the warmth to return. It was chi… Read More
For those in the church that feel that Christians are being marginalized by our culture, I offer the following prayer that I read in Psalm 80 this morning: “Give ear, O Shepherd of… Read More
There are situations in life where circumstances are both painful and beyond our control. One way of surviving during those times is to refuse to engage with the circumstance which is like d… Read More
I have heard it said that people can be divided into three groups: Those who are in a trial Those who have come out of a trial Those who are going into a trial As I write this, I am… Read More
I was recently asked about my calling and where I see myself with regard to Christian ministry. In thinking about how to respond to this question, it comes to me that whatever the answer… Read More

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