“We so often live our spiritual lives as those who search for a path of access to the God of our salvation. Such a pursuit or struggle wears us out in the long run. We then find meager contentment in believing we’re saved, and heaven is our home when we die. Scripture, however, conveys to us WE HAVE ACCESS TO THE GOD OF OUR SALVATION.”
Category: Lent
Such Risky Adventures
“So, when I hear or read, “If any want to become my followers,” I wince a bit. I know there’s a cost. There’s a cost in carrying a cross, in denying oneself, and it sounds like a follower follows alone. BUT WE DON’T FOLLOW ALONE. JESUS WASN’T ALONE ENTERING HIS PASSION. We wouldn’t be either.”
Obvious Parallels
The message to our world, our community, our friends, family and neighbors IS NOT GOD’S REGRET AND GOD’S JUDGMENT. God already went through that.
Everyone Will Know (Holy Thursday)
John 13: 1-17 Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and to go to the Father. HIS HOUR HAD COME. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas to betray him. All of this going on under the surface and knowing that the Father had given all…
So You May Believe
John 11: 1-45 The text from the eleventh chapter of John was lengthy, I know. It reminded me of the preacher who spoke twenty minutes on Isaiah, twenty minutes on Ezekiel, twenty minutes on Jeremiah, and twenty minutes on Daniel. Then he announced, “We have now come to the twelve minor prophets. What place will…
Departure From the Norm
John 9: 1-17, 28-41 A traveler was found by a U.S. Customs official to be carrying a half-gallon bottle from Mexico. The official asked the man what it contained. The traveler replied, “It’s just holy water. I took it from the shrine I visited. They say it causes miracles.” The inspector was suspicious and opened…
Thirsty?
John 4: 1-26 I had my recent stay in the hospital after emergency hernia surgery. By virtue of my condition and ongoing examinations by a few nurses and doctors, I was reminded of a story of a man suffering from an irritating headache. He went to a local doctor for some help. The receptionist at…
Only One Appropriate Reaction
Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-24 An old Chinese proverb goes like this: If you wish to be happy for one hour, get intoxicated. If you wish to be happy for three days, get married. If you wish to be happy for eight days, kill your pig and eat it. If you wish to be happy forever,…
They Deserve It!
Luke 13: 1-9 They came to Jesus and, in effect, asked him, “Did you see what Pilate did?” Jesus discerned what they said to really mean those Galileans were bad people. A woman and her grandmother – a very forgiving and religious soul – were sitting on their porch discussing a member of the family….
A Dead End?
Luke 13: 31-35 From a blogpost I wrote in February of 2015: “I’ve thought about erasing my master of divinity degree from my resume. Perhaps, by so doing, I’d look less educated, more hirable and more normal. But the thought comes to me regularly, I’ll never be normal.” That was a difficult time in our lives. We left the…
Psalm 102 in The Message 