“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21, ESV) I’m just going to come right out and say it. Jesus means Yehovah (Jehovah, Yahweh) saves! For Jesus, His name was not just a name, it was an identity. But it... Continue Reading →
The Little Foxes
“Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.” (Song of Solomon 2:15, ESV) We American Christians, slowly but surely, have begun to unstitch the threads that hold together our faith. Rather than taking pains to reinforce that stitching, we make little daily choices that threaten... Continue Reading →
Social Justice Without The Gospel?
"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” Romans 10:14 (ESV) Social Justice is a topic that is currently in vogue, and in some ways it should... Continue Reading →
Tomorrow
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34 ESV) The word tomorrow has stirred up more excitement than a free trip to Disney Land and struck more fear in the hearts of mankind than a Freddy Krueger movie marathon. Tomorrow... Continue Reading →
Folly
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV) Folly. Foolishness. I remember stepping up onto the cement rim of a raised decorative garden at the end of State Street at the University of... Continue Reading →
What Would You Run Toward?
“And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah” (1 Kings 19:20, ESV)? Elijah had just put his cloak upon Elisha, and it must have taken him a moment for what had happened to sink in. When I am focused intently on my work, I get in a zone—when someone approaches me unnoticed I am likely... Continue Reading →
Get Lost!
I'm not sure if the present generation is all that much different from past generations when it comes to love of self and self-esteem. I have thought for some time that self-love, today, is probably at an all-time low. We have increased suicide rates, mass shootings, bullying, etc. And despite the fact that tolerance has become... Continue Reading →
Passion
“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9, ESV) Recently I’ve been encouraged by my Pastor to take a fresh look at my life, to re-evaluate the direction that God may be leading me. As a part of that, I’ve been looking at my passions, things in life—past and... Continue Reading →
Clarity
"Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you." (Genesis 12:1, ESV). Have you ever felt that God wanted you to do something, but lacked clarity? Have you neglected to take the first step simply because you couldn't see the... Continue Reading →
A Resolution for a Mindful Disciple
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.... Continue Reading →
Skipping Stones 