"Pa," young James asked, "how can I love my neighbor?" The candle flickered in the draft from the January wind invading the cabin, piercing the post-suppertime darkness like a beacon. His father took a long draw from his pipe and looked up from his month-old newspaper. In 1805, it took the papers from back east…
Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, don’t be discouraged, for the Lord God will be with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9 Gratefully, 2020 will soon be over. So, as we “go” into 2021, take Joshua 1:9 with you as one of God’s promises for the new year. Yes, 2020 was rough,…
Name your favorite Christmas movie! Go! Mine: The Nativity Story. Why? Simple. The three wise men. In this Biblically-accurate retelling of the Gospel story of Jesus' birth, we’re introduced to Melchior, Balthasar and Gaspar as they are watching two planets and a single star align into what will become the Bethlehem Star. As they talk…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
