We are looking for Jesus in all the wrong places. We think “he was”. Our language and attitude is focused on Him as a historical figure. Jesus is having none of that. Jesus IS. Jesus IS alive. That is it and that is enough for today. We must focus on that. This is a bigContinue reading “Are We Looking for Jesus in All the Wrong Places?”
Category Archives: Faith
What I Learned at My Aunt’s Funeral
I’ve walked through their front door dozens of times, for Thanksgivings or July 4th pool parties or some other family gathering. My aunt and uncle’s two-story Texas ranch house is perfect for get-togethers, with horses in the pasture and a pool in the backyard, and my aunt always made sure that marshmallows, graham crackers andContinue reading “What I Learned at My Aunt’s Funeral”
All That Hinders
Last weekend I had a garage sale, actually a garage/moving sale. Moving! For some people, the idea is terrifying. Having been in the same location for decades, they can’t even imagine what that would look like. I love a good move, and I’ve always considered that moving helps you keep stuff to a minimum. WeContinue reading “All That Hinders”
Failure Is Succeeding at Things That Don’t Matter
. Success is hearing “Well done” from the only lips that matter. Failure is succeeding at things that don’t finally matter at all. You probably knew this already. But how hard it is to live! How hard it is not to crave praise and affirmation from those around you. How hard it is not toContinue reading “Failure Is Succeeding at Things That Don’t Matter”
Believe Women. Especially Now.
The central facts of the Christian faith were all primarily witnessed by women. Jesus was “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,” as the Apostles’ Creed says, and the Incarnation was witnessed first and foremost by Mary, his mother. Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.” The AtonementContinue reading “Believe Women. Especially Now.”
I Will Not Offer the Lord That Which Cost Me Nothing
2 Samuel 24:24. But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” David sinned by numbering the fighting men of Israel. It was not wrong that the kind took a census ofContinue reading “I Will Not Offer the Lord That Which Cost Me Nothing”
Forever with My Boy
Nick’s gravestone has finally been installed, and I have come to see it for the very first time. I have been looking forward to this day and dreading this day in equal measure. For months I have had to visit an unmarked grave, a patch of bare earth with no way to identify the nameContinue reading “Forever with My Boy”
Making God Smile
No one can run fast enough, jump high enough, sing good enough, or drop money enough into the collection bag to impress God. This is because every ability we have and everything we own, comes from Him. However, there is a portion of Scripture that runs contrary to the thought that God can’t be impressedContinue reading “Making God Smile”
The Tyranny of Merit
What happens when you build a society on the idea that if you work hard enough you will be successful? I mean it sounds a good idea, doesn’t it? It seems to indicate that everyone has an opportunity to rise to the top. It does away with the old aristocracy with its inherited status andContinue reading “The Tyranny of Merit”
Our Most Destructive Assumption About Heaven
Of all the misconceptions we have about heaven, which is the most destructive? That’s a difficult and important question to tackle. Once, while preaching about the new earth, I cited passages about feasting together in our resurrection bodies. Afterward, a veteran Bible student asked if I really believed we would eat and drink in theContinue reading “Our Most Destructive Assumption About Heaven”
