“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:5-6 ESV). Today I am reposting one of my favorite posts as migraine has interfered with my writing time this week.... Continue Reading →
Bearing the Name Part 10: City On a Hill
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14, ESV) We’ve been considering what it really means to bear the Name of God in a worthy manner—not taking it in vain. We have looked at what is, perhaps, a better translation of the commandment: “You shall... Continue Reading →
Bearing the Name Part 6: Reflections
“Once we have glimpsed the true portrait of God, the onus is on us to reflect it: to reflect it as a community, to reflect it as individuals. Once we see who Jesus is, we are not only summoned to follow him in worship, love and adoration, but to shape our world by reflecting his... Continue Reading →
Bearing the Name Part 3: YHVH Shalom
“Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and called it, The LORD Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.” (Judges 6:24, ESV) This is the third in a series about bearing the Name of the LORD in a worthy manner. We have come to believe... Continue Reading →
A Few Survivors
"If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah" (Isaiah 1:9 ESV). Sodom and Gomorrah were wicked towns, chock-full of wicked people. It was so bad in these places that God sent down fire to consume them and everyone in them. He... Continue Reading →
Dispelling The Shadows
In every scary movie ever produced we are reminded that danger resides in the shadows. Shadows move mysteriously as the light changes, providing a powerful allure. We take comfort in the light, but still we are curiously drawn to the shadows. Shadows are grainy, indistinct, and distorted versions of reality. They provide an image, but... 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 →
Harmony and Grace
“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” —Romans... Continue Reading →
When Did That Change For You???
“And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go” Matthew 21:30 (ESV) The American gospel has done an exceptional job of convincing us that God is for us. Now, before you get in a twist, I’m not referring to the fact that God... Continue Reading →
Sin and Prayer
Have you ever felt that, despite all of your prayers, God remains silent? You desperately need answers, but the answers don’t come? Perhaps you feel as though you are locked in a vault—your prayers hit the ceiling and bounce back—nothing in and nothing out. There can be any number of reasons why we don’t always... Continue Reading →
Skipping Stones 