There’s a lot of misunderstanding about love these days. In the world at large, love is often reduced to a feeling. People fall in and out of love on a whim, it seems. Dating relationships often begin with a flutter of feelings – attraction, affection, connection, desire, lust – and they often end abruptly when … [Read more…]
When I first considered preaching through Genesis, I recognized that many Christians have established a disconnect between the Old and New Testaments, so I had to be intentional in showing the unity of God’s plan from “the beginning.” Throughout the series, I have been reminding us that Genesis was written and given to Israel by … [Read more…]
On September 12, 1777, the day after General Washington’s defeat at the Battle of Brandywine, Thomas Paine wrote in his pamphlet series The American Crisis, “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.” Paine wrote to encourage Americans that, despite the previous day’s defeat, their … [Read more…]
The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” With that foundational perspective, the Founding Fathers of our nation continued to enumerate the grievances … [Read more…]
I started the new year writing about how God continues to restore us within the church with the help of our leaders, noting my new, additional role as an elder within this body. Having served as an elder for only four months, I am noticing a few things about myself and about leadership that I … [Read more…]
At the end of Jesus’ life, as he was dying on the cross, Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). While the people standing near the cross thought Jesus was calling to Elijah to rescue him, it is clear that Jesus did not cry out in desperation but to … [Read more…]
There has been a lot of talk lately about the Holy Spirit and God’s working among people in a very public way. Unfortunately, it seems that many people, even many Christians, view the Holy Spirit only from a perspective that expects dramatic or even miraculous work or actions, thinking that if there is no work … [Read more…]
As I wrote last month, my theme for preaching and teaching through 2023 is “restoration in Christ,” understanding that the gospel is good news for both those who do not know Jesus, as well as those who do. We most often think of restoration in Christ in the context of restoring sinners to God through … [Read more…]
Throughout 2022 I have been preaching and teaching about the new life that Jesus came to bring – what it looks like, how we can find it and receive it from God through our faith in Jesus, and how we can live out that new life in our day-to-day lives. For many people, hearing about … [Read more…]
Traditions are comfortable, and many of us find great comfort in our traditions surrounding Christmas. My mother had a pattern of preparing for and celebrating Christmas, so we could expect several things to happen every year. My mother began Christmas shopping at the end of September. Right before Thanksgiving, Mom began baking and filled several … [Read more…]