Why I Do Not Believe Life Begins at Conception
I am very deliberate about keeping political commentary far from my weekly blog postings. People have strong opinions about issues of faith, and often, even stronger ones about issues of politics. For me to combine the two is a bit like smoking a cigar while fueling up my lawnmower. This week I am making an…
Read MoreIs Knowing Possible?
Knowing There is an unsettling sensation tied to being in a context where it is important to know, yet we do not know. When faced with a significant business decision, when deciding whether to make that long journey, when needing to know how to address that delicate relationship issue, we want to have certainty, yet all…
Read MoreThe Source of Wisdom
When I worked with university students as a Campus Minister, I was engaged with an wide array of souls at a multiplicity of maturity levels, and yes, I mean maturity spiritually and emotionally. Some were tremendously mature adults while quite young in their faith. Others had been (nominally) in the body for many years but…
Read MoreAll You Need is Love?
Stay in Ephesus Writing to Timothy, his son in the faith, the apostle Paul urged him to stay in the city of Ephesus for the express purpose of charging certain persons not to corrupt the pure doctrine that had been delivered, or to get lost in complex genealogies and wild speculations.1 Then Paul explained the reason…
Read MoreInside or Outside
I have a habit of noticing repetition in scripture. For example, shortly after becoming a Christ follower in January of 1983, I started noticing the repeated phrase and concept, “in Christ,” where this thing is in Christ, that thing happens in Christ, or a certain blessing is found in Christ. So, I started keeping track…
Read MoreGuard the Deposit
When speaking with a student, a protégé, a child, or anyone we are attempting to impact or influence, it is common to employ repetition as a tool of instruction. If I tell my child “It is dangerous to play in the street, so don’t do that,” I am likely to tell them that more than…
Read MoreA Sermon from Jesus
Weak Preaching Unqualified observation: There is a lot of “fluff” being preached from current-generation pulpits. You are free to disagree, and if that is not the case where you gather with the saints, then I am pleased and happy for you. But as an observer of the church, as a former pastor, as a contender…
Read MoreOur Jesus Jubilee
Jubilee in Christ Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read, the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of…
Read MoreWells and Fountains
There is a beautiful line in Isaiah 12, one I suspect you’ll recognize just because we hear it quoted often enough to note its familiarity, but not so often that it becomes a memory verse for us. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.– Isaiah 12:3, ESV Truly, that is poetic…
Read MoreHidden in Plain View
If you are in Alean’s and my home for any extended period, there is a phrase you will eventually hear. “It’s right there by the mustard.” There is a story behind that silly phrase that I will not go into, but what I will tell you is that this is a humorous way for each…
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