Resurrection
Make It As Secure As You Can
I have taught for decades, and still maintain, that the resurrection of Jesus is the central truth of the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, we have nothing. It is the hub around which every other doctrine rotates. The resurrection is the key. It is the victory over death. The next day, that is, after the…
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 MoreGod, Thomas, and the Resurrection
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”– John 20:28, NIV-1978 Thomas is widely known as “doubting Thomas” based on his initial reluctance to believe the reports regarding Jesus’ resurrection. I have long believed that this disparagement of Thomas is unwarranted. Scripture is replete with calls and warnings to “test the prophets,” or to…
Read MoreWho is Jesus? (Part 5)
This week, in our look at the seven “I AMs” of Jesus in John’s gospel, we see one of my favorites. Thus far, Jesus has said he is the bread of life, the light of the world, the gate to the sheepfold, and the good shepherd. This week, Jesus is the resurrection and the life!…
Read MoreFour Resurrection Realities for the Christ Follower
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead holds profound meaning for, and leaves a deep and abiding imprint on the life of a Christ-follower. In just a few days, the believing community around the world will celebrate what I hold to be the core reality of the Christian faith – the resurrection of Jesus from the…
Read MoreThree Truths About Raising the Dead
I marvel, at times, regarding the various trends that seem to captivate the attention of huge numbers of people. More often than not, I have no idea how or where the trend started, or what it is that keeps it going. Consider the recent national obsession with bacon. Seriously, what is up with that? Yes,…
Read MoreIf Christ Be Not Raised…
We recently celebrated Easter, a time for some to put adorable dresses on little girls and suits on little boys – a time for hunting or rolling eggs, and for children to overdose on chocolate. For those in the body of Christ, however, Easter is so much more than dresses, new hats, eggs, and candy.…
Read MoreToo Good to be True
Cable television is an absurdity to me. More than once I have toyed with the option of getting rid of it, but always relent, because I do enjoy certain programming (like Sounders soccer and Jayhawk basketball). Still, it strikes me as ridiculous to have hundreds of channels available, of which only three carry any interest…
Read MoreThe Death of WormGuy
In the last year, Alean and I have lost only one fish, or so we had thought. Most of the fish in the aquarium are paired. We have Dot and Dash, Stanley and Ollie, Boris and Natasha, Ruby and Tuesday. But there are some single guys in there too, Riley, Winston, and Tim. Unfortunately, WormGuy,…
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