To what end has God given his church pastors? Certainly we can say that one end is that faithful under-shepherds shepherd the sheep well! That is, pastors are given by God to help church members know, love, and follow Jesus…
It has attained the status of a Christian motto: “Attempt great things for God.” Some people are surprised to learn that these words aren’t in the Bible but were spoken by the pioneering missionary William Carey. As disciples of Christ,…
On his first missionary journey Paul said something startling to the believers in Derbe. He said, “[through] many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”[1] Nearly twenty years later, toward the end of Paul’s life, while in his last…
One passage cherished for Advent reflection is Isaiah 9:6. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,…
I love a good ponder. Whether it’s eyes up to the midnight sky, gulping down drafts of galaxy from the clear and cloudless evenings, or pen-planting rows of thought along my journal, I love thinking and reflecting and meditating. When…
“Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host…
A 2023 poll revealed that 84% of Americans are angrier than a generation ago, with 42% of those polled admitting to feeling angrier themselves. A recent Pew Research Center survey shows nearly half (47%) of US adults believe public behavior…
For a time, I worshipped with a small Presbyterian Church in America congregation in a suburb just inside the beltway of a major city. Attendance varied from a low in the upper teens to forty plus on a well attended…
I enjoy the little story tucked away in Acts 12:12-17. It appears between King Herod’s tirade (Acts 12:1-11) against the church and his death for blasphemy (Acts 12:18-24). Oddly, it’s a humorous little story. Peter, having been miraculously freed from…
“When I see what you’re wearing, your theology is showing.”[1] Does that statement leave you in dumbfounded confusion? I don’t know about you, but last I looked in my closet, none of my clothes outline the finer points of total…
