Deuteronomy 5:33 Stay on the path that the LORD your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy. (Deuteronomy 5:33) Now you say, “Well, what if we find a list of dos and don’ts in Scripture?” That is aContinue reading “The Do’s and Don’ts of It”
Category Archives: Relationship
The Limitations of Applications
A few years ago, I was preparing for a small group Bible study on Luke 14:26 according to my church’s recommended steps. The Bible study steps culminated with “application” (i.e., “How can you apply this to your life?”), which is common in contemporary Bible studies. Yet I struggled to understand how to “apply to myContinue reading “The Limitations of Applications”
Free from Oneself
Isaiah 44:22 “I have swept away your sins like a cloud.I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist.Oh, return to me,for I have paid the price to set you free.” (Isaiah 44:22) If I choose not to risk, if I go the “safe” route and determine not to promote either salvation by grace orContinue reading “Free from Oneself”
So, How’s Your Love Life?
In college, I often visited an elderly friend who had been in my life since I was 12. “Grandma J” would welcome me warmly and serve me a slice of pie. In fact, sometimes she’d send a whole pie with me back to my dorm room. As we enjoyed a pot of tea together, sheContinue reading “So, How’s Your Love Life?”
The Inconvenience of Real Relationships
I pastor a church in a town that doesn’t have a Starbucks . If you’re looking for a snack or coffee, you could stop at our family-owned bakery, but one of the locals may actually try to strike up a conversation. It may cause anxiety if you’re used to being just a name on aContinue reading “The Inconvenience of Real Relationships”
Your Friendship with God
Have you ever found yourself feeling important, simply because you know somebody important? I have—a friend of mine is friends with someone who is himself a close friend of a famous Major League Baseball player. Through that distant connection, I got to go down on the field for batting practice when that player’s team cameContinue reading “Your Friendship with God”
Don’t Destroy Your Marriage
This year will mark 30 years of marriage for my husband and I. Where does the time go? When we said our vows at the altar on that overcast morning all those years ago, we were young, happy and idealistic. We meant every word we said, but we had no clue how those words wouldContinue reading “Don’t Destroy Your Marriage”
A Reverent Conversation
It is often very helpful for some Christians who struggle with prayer to think of it in terms of “talking to Dad.” This can help take some of the burden off of thinking our prayers have to be expressed a certain way or use a certain kind of terminology in order to be heard. SomeContinue reading “A Reverent Conversation”
I Was the Proverbial Prodigal’s Son
I grew up a small-town country boy in Ohio, the youngest of eight. Our home was a Christian home, and as a child I heard the message of salvation many times. I remember asking Jesus into my heart on our family stairway when I was eight years old. In fact, I remember asking Jesus intoContinue reading “I Was the Proverbial Prodigal’s Son”
The 7th Commandment for Today
You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14) The Ten Commandments are rules, but they are not arbitrary, man-made rules. God’s Ten Commandments are big, bold, bright signs guiding us away from the regions of darkness and death, and toward the upland plains of light and life in Christ. The problem is, in our sin, weContinue reading “The 7th Commandment for Today”
Intentional Faith 