Love One Another
““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.“ (John 13:34, NIV) It seems our country is more divided than ever…politics, race, even gender are issues that pull Americans apart. It’s even true in the church, to some degree. A friend of mine pastors […]
The Fear of the Lord
“‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.“ (Leviticus 19:14, NIV) We read this and think who would do such a thing, anyway? But you and I both know there are rotten apples out there who would and do take […]
Get Wisdom!
“Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7, NIV) That’s the Bible’s verdict on wisdom. In fact, six different times in the Proverbs we’re told to get it…whatever the cost…and hold onto it for dear life. We Christians take this to heart, so we start our quest […]
Doing the Hard Work
“You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.“ (James 3:18, The Message) I really like that interpretation of James 3:18 from The Message because it stacks up […]
The Three “I’s”
“Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3, NIV) In school they taught us the importance of the three R’s: reading, riting, and ‘rithmatic (maybe they should spend more time on the one S!). In our […]
Hard-Headed
“I have made your forehead as hard as the hardest rock!”” (Ezekiel 3:9, NLT) A friend of mine reminded me of that passage from Ezekiel today and it encouraged me. In the past, I, too, have been told (I won’t tell you by whom) that I am hard-headed. It wasn’t meant as a compliment. But […]
“The Plans I Have for You…”
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.“ (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV) In the real estate world, they say “location, location, location!” In Bible study world we say “context, context, context.” How many times have […]
My Hope is in You
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.“ (Romans 5:5, NIV) I saw a political bumper sticker the other day that actually made me laugh. Picture a typical political endorsement but instead of the politician’s name it read […]
The People You Meet
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I […]
If my people…
““…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14, NIV) This is America’s favorite Scripture in times of trouble or decision. […]
The Elephant in the Sanctuary
“Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season…“ (2 Timothy 4:2, NIV) There’s an elephant in the room at church. We don’t talk about it and we pretend it isn’t there, even though his peanut-breath is hard to miss. When I’m hanging out with other pastors, we talk about it, we just […]
Requiem for a Truck
I was in an automobile accident last week. Fortunately all parties are alright…except for my truck. That old, blue, 1999 Ford has passed from this life and I grieve her passing. It is true, she had seen better days. She had 250,000 miles on her. She had scratched paint. The headlining was beginning to droop. […]
