Who Teaches You? Do Sermons Belong in Church? We go to church to learn about God, right? Who told you that? It was likely the minister at your local church. That’s who I’ve heard it from, and church is always the place where I heard it. Isn’t...
Membership Has Its Privileges: Why We Shouldn’t Join a Church A few decades ago American Express unveiled the tagline: “Membership has its privileges.” Their ads implied that great benefits awaited those who qualified to carry one of their...
The Simplicity of Faith: Jesus Says “Follow Me” In Peter’s darkest moment, he denies that he even knows who Jesus is. I don’t criticize Peter for this, however. Despite a desire to respond differently, I suspect that if facing death, I could...
What Happens After We Promise to Pray For Others? Prayer is important to me, and I often pray for others. However, I seldom promise to pray for them. Why is that? Too many times, people have told me they’d pray for me, but I sensed they never...
What is the Spirit of Truth? One of the things I enjoy when studying the Bible is to investigate words and phrases that are repeated throughout its pages. The phrase “Spirit of Truth” is one such example that jumps out at me and begs further...
Experiencing Christian Community My wife and I attended an-out-of-town wedding. We know both the bride and the groom well, having walked with them towards this joyous day. They met while attending seminary. The overall ceremony was typical of...
John’s Unique Perspective of Jesus Each of the four biographies of Jesus in the Bible reflect the perspective of its author. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke contain many similarities, John’s account is the most different. He offers a unique...
A Hint of What is to Come Last month I shared that my yard was a blank canvas, a palette of browns awaiting a fresh start. At last, that transformation has begun. Trees have been added, bushes inserted, and plants strategically placed. Grass seed...
Will You Pray For Me? Three Outcomes to Consider When people ask for prayer, I’m eager to do so. Prayer is important; prayer makes a difference. God wants us to pray, and it’s part of our spiritual formation. So when someone asks, “Will you pray...
Did Jesus Have Second Thoughts? Before Jesus is captured and executed, he spends some time praying. At one point in his prayer, Jesus asks God for a reprieve—that he won’t have to die—even though that was the plan all along. But he’s quick to add...
