Bonus Post – One Man’s Conviction
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands fast to the end will be saved.– Matthew 10:22, NIV-1983 One Man With Conviction Tuesday night, January 17, the Philadelphia Flyers NHL team celebrated Pride Night by wearing LGBTQ+-affirming warm-up jerseys. Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov chose to abstain from pre-game warmups saying, “I…
Read MoreDefined by the Vine
Yesterday I preached a sermon at Victory Christian Fellowship in Lynden, WA. As a closer to that exhortation, I called on people to bear the fruit of righteousness from a heart of repentance. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may…
Read MoreKnowing Your Place
I have noted a recent rise in objections related to the misguided concept, “If God is such a good and loving God, how could he possibly send anyone to Hell?” The folly of such a view is easily brought to light, but that light is quickly dimmed for those who choose not to see. My…
Read MoreBetween the Rock and the Hard Place
I do not have a deep kinship with the King James translation of the Bible. I certainly do not revere the translation as a “Holy of Holies” among Bibles the way some do. It is a translation. It is a good one. It’s not without its challenges, and it is dated in its English language…
Read MoreJesus, Why Are You Here?
Yesterday, we celebrated something unprecedented – God took on flesh and pitched his tent among humanity.1 It is unprecedented because it had never happened before, and no other faith throughout history even purports that such a thing could, would, or did happen. Not only do other faiths and cultures not speak of Immanuel (God with us), many find…
Read MoreYou Ask Me How I Know He Lives . . .
A Bad Hymn Every so often, the discussion will reemerge about how there is bad theology in many of the praise songs used by the modern church. It’s true. There is. Yet, the same can be said for some of the most beloved hymns in more traditionally structured churches. Consider the “theology” from this hymn:…
Read MoreTelling God How It Is
Telling God How It Is More than once I have had that curious conversation with a young-to-middle-aged man or woman who has decided that they are displeased and disapproving of the way God is running the universe. If you have not had one of these conversations, you need to do so. Get that on your…
Read MoreA Better View of Home
I’ve grown weary of hearing/reading the many buzzwords, virtue signals, and phrases of offense being thrown around lately. It can be exhausting to attempt to live up to the standards and expectations of others. Don’t mention critical race theory. People will say [ any number of things]. Don’t say that! They’ll think you’re “woke” or worse…
Read MoreThe Grace of Suffering
The apostle Peter once wrote of his fellow apostle … [Paul’s] letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.– 2 Peter 3:16b, NIV-1978 It is the case that Paul’s intellect was impressive. Generations of theologians have puzzled over…
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