Each of us would love to hear the words of Matthew 25:23 said to us: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Matthew 25:23).  The finality of that statement is elusive to us […]

Life circles and circles. How did I get back here? I thought it was a journey along a straight line – up and to the right. The brightness and the darkness, the joy and the sorrow, the close times and the far times. And the memories . . . Oh! For more moments of greatness. […]

Holiness hurts.  It’s not easy living for God and dying to self. When we experience pain, it’s difficult to sense God’s presence. Our lives are unfinished, but God is real and has a plan for your life, so don’t give up.

It’s one thing to deal with when it’s an isolated hard case of humanity.  One rebellious child, one good kid gone bad—the one who buys an assault rifle and does unspeakable things.  But what is to be done when a whole place seems to have gone bad, when the whole place is “…full of lies […]

It’s one thing to be raised by wolves and be wolfish. However, we are caught off guard when the good son of a believing family in a believing community of a believing nation goes rogue and runs. God says travel east, so he goes west.  How will God deal with the rebellion?

We all like to have our way and be given consideration, but all we really have to give to anyone or any cause is our attention.  Giving people consideration and having a culture where people are given consideration means we can’t limit our attention to our agenda, our comfort, or our benefit. We must also […]

Peter couldn’t make it clearer: “Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers and sisters.  Fear God. Show respect for the king.” 1 Peter 2:17  To not respect a person calls into question our love for them.   Jesus was clear that the world would know we are the genuine article of followers of Him […]

The very essence of pride is found in incivility – assuming me, my, and mine trump you and yours. The simplest form of incivility is the driver who knows their lane is ending but, because it is empty, they rush to the very front of the line, demand that another driver brake and allow them […]

If it is true that our outlook influences both our mental and physical health, then followers of Jesus should be the healthiest people in the world! We aren’t called to some Pollyannaish playing of “The Glad Game,” where we strain the borders of truth to try and find something positive in every situation.  What Christ […]

“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!” Emmanuel—God with us. What is it that made the shepherds run back into the fields rejoicing? What was it that caused the Wise Men to fall on their face and bow down and worship? It was this fact and this fact alone: God is not a […]