One of Arthur Miller’s books is called Incident at Vichy. A man appears before a Nazi guard. The Nazis have just invaded their town. The man is well-educated and well-respected. He shows his credentials to the guards. These include his university degrees and his letters of reference from well-known people.  The guard asks him: “Is … Continue reading Who are we when all our things are taken away?

Our society values achievement. That’s one of the reasons we have things like trophies, ribbons, A-pluses, and year-end bonuses.  If we’re not careful we can start to think that our value is connected to our achievements. “I’m only truly valuable if others recognize me, or if I have a lot of money, or if I … Continue reading Received, not achieved

In one of his speeches John F. Kennedy said that America would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. “In a very real sense,” he said, “it will not be one man going to the moon—it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him … Continue reading Little actions, big mission

“Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). In the 17th century, George Swinnock said that a Christian should regard “his shop as well as his chapel as holy ground.”* Here is what he meant. We often think of church buildings as “holy ground.” We might also think of a special location as “holy … Continue reading Unexpected holy ground

Psalm 121:3-4 says this about God’s guardianship over his people: “He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” I think that the psalm is alluding to a story from 1 Kings 18. There the prophet Elijah is in … Continue reading A God who never sleeps

Christians believe in certain things. One of those things isn’t luck. Luck is the idea that everything unfolds according to chance. According to that line of thinking, God is neither almighty nor active. Granted, someone might say “What luck!” when it’s sunny on the same day they decide to go for a picnic. But any … Continue reading We don’t believe in luck

One of the most popular movies of all time is The Sound of Music. Toward the end there is a dramatic scene where the von Trapp family is trying to flee from danger. They are being pursued by the sinister authorities. Maria von Trapp is played by Julie Andrews. She speaks briefly with the Reverend … Continue reading God continues to speak to his people

One of the most famous verses in Psalm 103 is number 19: “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.” God’s throne is in heaven. And his kingdom rules over all. Note the word “all.” About this Matthew Henry writes: “there is no exempt jurisdiction.”* Therefore, his throne rules … Continue reading Where can I flee from your presence?

Before I was ordained as a pastor, I served for a summer as a student at a church called St. David’s. We held a Vacation Bible Camp. On one of the days we taught about Noah and the flood. We often think about it as a children’s story. After all it has a bunch of … Continue reading The rain was God’s tears

I’m a planner. I like being organized.  The good thing about being a planner is that things tend to get done. You map out how to use your time and organize that time so that it moves you toward your goals. I don’t always get it right—far from it!—but being a planner has benefits. It … Continue reading Don’t be careless, but don’t be too careful either