Last Monday, we drew the curtain down on another year of Awana. All in all, a great year. The leaders shared stories at the banquet this week to share some of the highlights of the year, and I'm so very grateful for what God has done. Kristin Marsh deserves special mention. This was her first...
"Fear the Lord!" In both the Old Testament and the New, we are not only told to fear the Lord, but that it's one of the most important things we can ever do as human beings. It's mentioned at least 8 times in Deuteronomy alone. We know that those without the grace of Christ should be afraid of...
Psalm 51 is my favorite of the "penitential psalms" - psalms expressing the penitence and confession of the author. Verse 6 has burrowed itself deep into my thinking and motivation: "Behold, You delight in truth in the inward parts." David wrote this psalm after he came to terms with his sin...
One of the objections people have to God existing as described in the Bible is the suffering of the innocent through man's violence or natural disaster. If God is good, why does He allow these things to happen? Is He not strong enough? Is He not good enough? Let's skip for a second the argument...
Matthew 10:5-42 1973, what a year! The USA and North Vietnam signed a cease fire agreement; the Watergate scandal reached the Nixon White House; OPEC imposed an oil embargo in response to the USA support of Israel creating gas shortages, lines, and rising prices; and I spent the...
We have talked about giftedness plenty of times - in this blog, in sermons, in casual conversations, in the business of the Nominating Committee - no lack of ways. Giftedness is some ability that God gives you. It's not a skill that you develop from scratch, like tying your shoes. Rather, it's...
I will not move my parents into Assisted Living on Easter weekend. I will not move my parents into Assisted Living on Easter weekend. I will not move my parents into Assisted Living on Easter weekend. I will not move my parents into Assisted Living on Easter weekend. ... We...
Recently, a talk show host mocked the idea that God can speak to us today, calling such claims as a "mental illness." Predictably, many Christians publicly reacted with anger and demands for the host to issue a public apology to the person she had insulted. I suggest a different...
Fasting and Sabbath - two habits from the Old Testament that we try really hard to ignore exist prominently in the New Testament. Fasting: Abstaining from a normal staple of life (most often food, if medically safe) for a long enough period to feel its absence, in order to 1) use the...
Matthew 9:35-38 records another instance of Jesus working to make His disciples into fishers of men. Last week’s lesson comes from Matthew’s observation that Jesus had compassion on the crowds because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd...