“What are we celebrating?” This one question has been recurring from my pulpit for quite some time now. The context typically includes an admixture of invitation, partiality, oversight, and misguided emotions. The example most often mentioned concerns family (I’m speaking of blood relatives, particularly immediate family members). Family represents a natural petri dish for conflict. […]
It’s a typical Wednesday morning and the sun has finally decided to show its lovely face after a brief surrender to a patented New England let-me-darken-your-mood storm system. I know, I know, what would become of the green grass and the beautifully budding trees and flowers in the absence of life sustaining rain? Sometimes, I’m
Love and humility. What a pair. To abide in the first is to know the second. To know the second is to respond with the first. The dynamic is divinely orchestrated as a blessing for believers alone, a harmonious sphere of godliness. In the beginning [before Creation] was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. — 1 John 5:4 My congregation may not know it, but most days I preach from behind my pulpit, my heart is breaking. It’s the same love that compels me to serve/teach that
Just recently it occurred to me that my ministry has been very much characterized by the Parable of the Wedding Feast. As you read the passage below, remember the context; Jesus was speaking to the chief priests, the Pharisees, and the elders in the Jewish Temple, their most venerated place. Also keep in mind that, like
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In case you haven’t seen the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the main character is an alien from outer space who gets displaced from his family for a time, bonds with a young boy, and is protected by a small group of kids from those who would do him harm (the “evil” scientists and such). I know,
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A woman says to her young daughter, “My dear, to find happiness in this world, you must find a good man to marry, preferably one that makes decent money, so you’ll never have to worry about things.” If I’ve heard this once, I’ve heard it a hundred times described to me by jaded women, including
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Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, John Lennon, Mark Zuckerberg, Katharine Hepburn, Neil deGrasse Tyson: all of these people have denounced our Father in Heaven (Jesus said, “If you knew Me, you would know My Father also” – John 8:19b), and yet they are heralded as among society’s elect. Let that settle in and do not be dismissive. Step back
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As a pastor, one of the most frequent questions I receive is, “How do I know if I’m saved?” By the grace of God, Holy Scripture contains everything we ever need to know about the assurance of our salvation in Christ Jesus. God is love. As such, He imparts to us a “living hope” that the apostle
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You may remember the popular TV show that ran from the 1950s to the 1980s called Name That Tune. Obviously, given its prolific span of running time, the show was a great success. I can understand why, too, because it was one of those game shows that people could play along with from their own living