RG Audio 032320   Matthew 6: 5-15 On an evening run through a city suburb in December, I was reflecting on the lights and décor of the holiday season. I saw plenty of big houses with lots of lights and expensive decorations. I remember feeling checked. The grandiose designs and flashy furnishings seemed contrary to […]

RG Audio 032220   Acts 20:17-24 My close friend was the chairperson for our city’s annual Christmas parade. The residents loved this unique parade and packed Main Street each year in support. Less than twenty-four hours before the parade, Kim called me in a panic. The man who owned the horses which would pull Santa’s […]

RG Audio 032120   1 Peter 5:1-11 In the late 1970s the National Basketball Association was facing a public relations nightmare. Public perception was that the players were selfish and prone to fighting, both on and off the court. Since then league administrators have worked hard at creating a new image of athletes who genuinely […]

RG Audio 032020   James 3:9-18 Every Halloween my wife and I sit out in the front driveway huddling near the warmth of a firepit and welcoming the many neighbors whose children come to ask: “Trick or Treat?”. We love to make affirming comments about their costumes, and to ask the little ones, “Who is […]

RG Audio 031920   Colossians 3:1-14 If you could have just one superpower, what would it be? The ability to fly? To time-travel? To become invisible? Yet, we are quickly awakened from this sort of day-dreaming by the reality of just how weak and powerless we really are. When the bills pile up, we wish […]

RG Audio 031820   Philippians 2:1-11 Our culture is obsessed with superhero movies. The plot is in many ways like real life: the world is falling apart and only a hero can save it. The villains are familiar too; we see them everywhere. In real life the villains’ names are Injustice, Poverty, Racism, and Greed. […]

RG Audio 031720   John 13:1-17 How do you learn? Educators tell us that there are three dominant learning styles: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic (hands-on movement). We all learn differently. We all need a teacher who understands us. Jesus is the Master Teacher. He had all types of learners in mind—every single one of us—when […]

RG Audio 031620   Proverbs 3:27-35 I saw a bumper sticker on the back of a large pickup truck that read, “Yes, this is my truck, and, no, you cannot borrow it.” How often do we get requested to help someone? To give a little time, energy, and money to this person or to that […]

RG Audio 031520   Psalm 1:1-6 My youngest son has begun to show an interest in gardening. His grandmother helped him start several different seeds. He has instructions for how much light they need, what temperature is best, and how to water them the right amount. The psalmist compares the righteous person to a tree […]

RG Audio 031420   Matthew 5:1-2, 11-16 Two kinds of people exist in the world: those who want a nightlight and those who do not. My sons fit these two categories: one wants a light on while sleeping, the other does not, at all. The problem: they share a room. This difference in preferences has […]