Moses Blames the People for His Mistake Not Taking Responsibility for Our Actions Goes Way Back We often shake our heads in dismay over people who refuse to admit when they have done something wrong. Instead they want to blame others. They refuse...
Is Our Faith About Talk or About Power? The Kingdom of God Is About Power, Not Words When Paul writes to his friends in the city of Corinth, he encourages them to change their behavior. In the middle of this, he slips in a curious line about the...
A Time of Transition (Visiting Church #23) We attend a contemporary service at a Presbyterian church. Their interim minister gives a message on “Listening to God”; today is his first official day on the job. Their former minister of twelve years...
Peninnah is an unfamiliar Bible character. Hare you ever heard of her? She’s a co-wife with Hannah (the mother of Samuel). Their husband is Elkanah. Having two wives is never a good idea. Conflict ensues. In a tale reminiscent of Jacob and...
Do Our Meetings Do More Harm Than Good? We Must Examine Our Church Meetings to Make Sure They Are Truly Beneficial In Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth, he talks about worshiping God and then he talks about celebrating the Lord’s...
Do We Have an Inward Focus or an Outward Focus? Focusing on Ourselves Is Selfish While Focusing on Others Is Selfless There was a time when I headed up our church’s small group initiative. One of the things I learned was that small groups with...
Experiencing True Community (Visiting Church #22) We arrive at the church to a bustle of activity. Only a few people are sitting; most mill about, socializing. Many make a point of introducing themselves, genuinely interested in meeting us. Names...
The Apostle John and the Chosen Lady In John’s second letter he writes to the chosen lady and her kids. Some people assume John is employing an intimate metaphor to reference the church (the chosen lady) and its members (her children). But this...
God Speaks to the Prophet Amos through a Vision Regardless of How God Speaks to Us, We Should Listen to What He Says The words of the Old Testament prophet Amos appear in the book of the Bible that bears his name. The words come to him in a...
God Blesses Us So That We Can Bless Others God Told Abraham That He Would Bless Him and Through Him Bless All Nations How often do we ask God to bless us? It’s a request I make most every day. Sometimes more than once. I suspect you may often ask...
