The saintly Bart Simpson once prayed the family grace, “God we paid for all this ourselves, so thanks for nothing.” Though we might not be so bold to pray in this way, we often communicate it in our lack of thanks. In an affluent culture, we can take for granted that all that we have […]
If it’s a nice sunny day, and you’re walking down the sidewalk, you’ll most likely notice someone following close by that you can’t shake. Yup, it’s your shadow. If I’m on a walk with my two year old daughter, she will immediately point out those strange silhouettes of our own image and say, “Daddy’s shadow; […]
I hurt myself today To see if I still feel I focus on the pain The only thing that’s real Hurt is everywhere. We feel the hurt caused to us. We fear the hurt caused by us. And we hurt ourselves as we rehearse the pain again and again. The Book of Job focuses our […]
We often say that your number one ministry to the church is a ministry of presence. Without the presence of its people, the church is not the church. The people of God gather. Though our first priority ought to be the Sunday Gathering, we also have other opportunities to gather throughout the week. These points […]
On most Tuesday mornings, I find myself among a beautiful community of the aged and infirm. It’s a privilege that I sometimes take for granted, though I try not to. These dear friends can’t easily get into a car and attend church on Sundays. The little liturgy we provide is the closest they get to […]
Christians, of all people, have every reason to give thanks. For it is our Father in heaven that gives good gifts to His children (Matt. 7:11). But what are those good gifts? In the hustle and bustle of our days, we can be forgetful and even ungrateful for the things our heavenly Father gives and […]
The Baptist theologian and historian Timothy George was said to open his church history course with the statement: “My task in this class is to convince you that there was someone between your grandmother and Jesus and that it matters.” Today is All Saints Day – a day worth giving attention to. Regardless of denomination, […]
Luke 16:1-8 may be the most confusing parable Jesus ever told. It’s a parable of the antihero. On the surface it seems that He’s commending dishonesty and manipulation. This led the Roman Emperor Julian to accuse Christians of being liars and thieves. At this point, we might be thinking “Jesus, couldn’t you make this one […]
What can be more joyful than getting together around God’s word and building each other up? We have the opportunity to do just that with our summer community groups! Next Wednesday we will have the opportunity to come together in smaller groups and treasure God’s word and His people. Over the past few weeks we’ve […]
God’s kingdom is made up of many different branches. Humble Christians have always acknowledged that though we might perch on one branch, other branches that preach the true gospel of grace are just as important as ours. We should pray and partner so that our branches are strong. This is where a tool like theological […]