I know this is going to make me one of “them,” but it has to be said: the holidays are coming. As I write this, there are about five weeks until Thanksgiving and about nine until Christmas. (My mother would be appalled that I have called attention to it; please forgive me.) This is the … [Read more…]
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who … [Read more…]
I know that it’s obvious how I spend some of my time. I preach every week and teach several lessons throughout the week. However, a lot of what I do is behind the scenes and involves a lot of study and thought. However, nothing that I do should be hidden, nor should it be done … [Read more…]
At the end of June, I attended the North American Christian Convention in Cincinnati with my family. The theme for the week was “We Speak,” and many of the speakers focused on or began at Acts 4:19, 20 where Peter and John replied to the Jewish religious leaders who threatened them to keep them from … [Read more…]
Names are difficult these days. In the not so distant past, it was fairly easy to learn the name of a person, place, or thing, and then immediately know something about that person, place, or thing just because of the name. That’s not necessarily the case anymore. Unfortunately, this also seems to be the case … [Read more…]
“We are transformed by the renewing of our minds, not by trying really hard to be good.” Josh Hunt nails the struggle of Christian discipleship for many people. Essentially he restates what Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of … [Read more…]
There are a lot of questions these days about how Christians ought to interact with the world, especially when the world has expectations of us that contradict what the Scriptures tell us to believe, say, and do. “How can we live ‘in’ the world without being ‘of’ the world?” “How do we love those who … [Read more…]
Matthew 28 is the chapter that gives us the details of Jesus’ resurrection. It tells us about the women going to the tomb to finish the burial preparations for Jesus’ body but finding an empty tomb and an angel who said in Matthew 28:6, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” … [Read more…]
Over the past few weeks, I’ve mentioned several times the second greatest commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” which comes from Leviticus 19:18 and which Jesus affirms in Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, and Luke 10:27, 28. Jesus taught parables from this commandment and made other statements in regard to it throughout his ministry; it’s clear … [Read more…]
In the first few sermons of the year, I tried to prepare us for the process of evaluating where we are, dreaming about where we want to go, and determining how we’re going to get there – in a word, change. I know that change can be irritating, if not outright frightening, but it’s a … [Read more…]