RG AUDIO 011719   Luke 7:31-38 Through his words and actions, Jesus shattered many expectations people had about the Messiah and God. Jesus pulled back layers of misunderstanding, ignorance, self-importance, self-righteousness we all harbor to reveal who God is. We don’t know if Simon, a Pharisee, was a believer like the Roman Centurion or setting […]

RG AUDIO 011619   Luke 7:18-30 Do as I do, not as I say. Have you ever known someone about which this was true? While they said one thing, they did another. Their words and actions did not match up so you were left to decide which was real. To say something is much easier […]

RG AUDIO 011519   Luke 7:11-17 Her tears were real and raw. Not only did the widow lose her son to death, she was also without a husband. As her heart broke for her dead child, surely the lack of certainty for her future added to her grief. Hope was likely hard to come by […]

RG AUDIO 011419   Luke 7:1-10 I have never been a fan of surprises. Jack in the Box was one of my least favorite toys. While uncertainty is unsettling, not all surprises are unnerving. Jesus was surprised by a Roman soldier. This leader in the Roman army (the occupying enemy in Israel’s promised land) sent […]

RG AUDIO 011319   Psalm 40:1-10 A child learning to walk and climb can get into some tight spots and crazy predicaments. More than once a parent will have to “rescue” his child. The child may or may not be in danger—how unaware a toddler is of danger can be astounding! However, many times the […]

RG AUDIO 011219   Ephesians 4:17-32 Marketers plaster on packaging in bold, bright lettering: new formula, better recipe. In an effort to entice people to try their product, they declare the difference between the old and new. Christians are new and transformed: “created to be like God” (v. 24b). The old, broken self is redeemed […]

RG AUDIO 011119   Luke 6:43-49 My daughter loves clementine oranges. She eats one nearly every day. The preschool my children have attended makes an annual trip to a local apple orchard every fall. The students learn about the trees, including the different types of apples grown. They get to see how apples are sorted […]

RG AUDIO 011019   Luke 6:27-42 Find the difference puzzles can be an entertaining way to spend some time and sharpen your skills of observation. It could take you a while to discern where every difference is. Once you’ve found them all, you can sort the objects into two categories: the correct picture and the […]

RG AUDIO 010919   Luke 6:6-16 “Blessed be . . .” establishes the following people as members of the kingdom Jesus has come to proclaim. What follows doesn’t make sense because the people that belong to the kingdom are not the people we would usually choose to belong: poor, hungry, weeping people. The kingdom of […]

RG AUDIO 010819   Luke 6:6-16 My oldest son should be a lawyer. He can find the most microscopic detail and make sure you know it’s there. If you tell him to pick up his toys and “put them up,” he may literally put them up somewhere high. After all, you did say “up.” The […]