Having a contentment issue? Think about Psalm 16:5-6: LORD, you have assigned to me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. To me, that means if God doesn't want something for me, then I don't…
Give Thanks for 2020? Really?
One of the most difficult commands of the Bible? "Give thanks in all circumstances." 1 Thess. 5:18 Against the daunting backdrop of 2020, this is a real stretch. The usual joys of life - concerts, live sports, plays - all gone. Personal liberties - church attendance, gathering as families, hugging and shaking hands - voluntarily…
No. 8 – Walking on a Sunday Afternoon (Luke 24:18-35), Part 2
Epiphany. That's a big word. How about "an a-ha moment?" Whatever you call it, that's what I experienced the day it dawned on me that the Old Testament was all about Jesus. All of the old stories were no longer just allegorical tales about good people. Those stories became signposts, markers that point to Jerusalem,…
No. 8 – Walking on a Sunday Afternoon (Luke 24:18-35)
Let's join in a little "holy imagination...." Cleopas pounded the dust off his sandal, and looked out the window at another Sunday morning in Jerusalem. "If we have to walk home today, at least the weather's decent," he thought, as his wife Mary tied the last bundle to their donkey. It had not been the…
No. 7 – When It Makes No Sense (Psalm 4:5-8)
We live in a time of anxious children. This was true well before the time of COVID-19, and continues in this season of pandemic and protest, when the very ground under our feet seems to shift, almost by the minute. Twelve years ago, anxiousness and panic often robbed our 12-year-old daughter of her sleep. Many…
Leaving the 99: Scriptural Lessons on Leadership
A while back, as I was browsing through my LinkedIn timeline, I came cross this quote from leadership expert John Maxwell: “Needless to say, you can love people without leading them, but you cannot lead people without loving them.” - John Maxwell John was roundly criticized by a commenter for trying to bring religion into…
Resurrection Sunday +1: When Things Got Real
It's the most important question you'll ever ask yourself. Who is Jesus of Nazareth? It's a two-thousand-year-old question, and it started with the people of Israel when Jesus lived here on earth. In those brief three years of Jesus' public ministry, God led many to quickly recognize Jesus' true identity. When Jesus came to the…
Resurrection Week: On a Cross Beside Jesus (Luke 24:32-43)
I'm thankful every minute of my life that Jesus died for me on that cross. I know that if God had chosen, he could have punished me for my sins instead of punishing Jesus. But Christ's atoning death satisfied my sin debt, and the debt of everyone else in the world who believes in Him. Because…
Resurrection Week: The Water, The Bowl, and the Teachable Moment
Jesus had a lot of opportunities to teach his disciples while on Earth. Object lessons, lessons that couldn't be learned in any way other than being in his presence. Like Peter walking on the water, but then sinking when he took his eyes off Jesus. There were miraculous creations of wine and food, healings, and…
No. 6 – Not Done ‘Til God Says So: Phillipians 1:6
Coronavirus is here. There's no denying that fact, and there's no escaping it. As I write this post, our country is in the earliest stages of dealing with the threat that COVID-19 poses to our country. How serious will it be? We can't know right now, and we won't know until it's in our rearview…
