Contemplating Cain and His Gift to God The account of Cain is well-known. The Bible records his story as the world’s first murderer. It is out of jealousy—and possibly premeditated—that Cain kills his brother, Abel. But what are the events that...
What Does it Mean to Pray Hard? Have you ever had someone ask you to “pray hard?” I have. Often it’s for a pressing personal issue or a distressing situation—and they implore me to “pray hard.” When they say this, I think I know what they mean—or...
Make a Difference Wherever You Go My wife and I are on track to start our “52 Churches” adventure this coming Sunday—look for my first update on Monday. As friends prayed about this, they prayed that we would have a positive impact on each of the...
52 Churches: The Journey Begins For an Entire Year, We Visited a Different Christian Church Every Sunday Next week, I will begin reposting a thread called “52 Churches.” It reflects on my church experience when my wife and I took a year to visit...
Have You Had A Desert Experience From time to time, I’ve heard people say they’re “in the desert.” They are speaking figuratively, of course, but nevertheless it is a dry place, a barren wilderness, an unhappy situation to be sure. Their desert...
Paul’s Words Stir up the Crowd The eighth sermon in the book of Acts: Acts 21:27-22:30 (specifically Acts 22:3-21) Setting: Jerusalem, in the temple Speaker: Paul Audience: A mob and a few Roman soldiers Preceding Events: Some Jews from Asia tell...
one child policy
What Do You Think of The Spiritual Realm? A friend of mine once startled me by saying, “Sometimes I think the spiritual realm is more real than the physical realm.” That gave me a start, but I understand what he meant—and yearn to understand it...
Paul Cleverly Connects with the People of Athens The sixth sermon in the book of Acts: Acts 17:16-34 (specifically Acts 17:22-31) Setting: In Athens, a meeting at the Areopagus Speaker: Paul Audience: The people of Athens (non-Jews) Preceding...
Be Ready to Speak The fifth sermon in the book of Acts: Acts 13:13-52 (specifically, Acts 13:16-41 & 46-47) Setting: The synagogue in Antioch Speaker: Paul Audience: Jews and God-fearing Gentiles (likely converts to Judaism) Preceding Events...
