Look with me at the last chapter of the gospel of John. It’s not merely an interesting add-on. This chapter is an important bridge from the facts of Jesus’ life, teaching, death & resurrection to our lives. John 21:1-19 After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and […]
How Jesus became king
A lion woke up one morning in the jungle and felt pretty proud of himself. He decided to take a walk. He came across a monkey eating bananas and yelled, “Hey, monkey, who’s the king of the jungle?” and let out a tree-shaking roar. The monkey bowed low and said, “You, great lion, you are […]
Radicalized Christians 3
Hey, law, you can move on now When the Bible speaks of the Law, it is talking about the entire covenant which God made with Israel when he brought them out of Egypt. It includes the Ten Commandments, the sacrificial system, the temple organization, the feasts and holy days, the moral commands, the social […]
Recovery for your soul
This is a guide for encountering Christ for yourself. You probably will need to set aside some time to be alone and uninterrupted. Use it any way you need. Don’t feel you have to be locked in to what I’ve written; follow the Spirit’s lead for you. I pray God will meet you and give […]
Radicalized Christians 2
No condemnation A man pulled up and stopped his car in the street next to my home in a small town in Texas. I had just parked my own car and gotten out. I didn’t know the man. He knew I was a pastor, maybe because I was living in the parsonage of a […]
Radicalized Christians
You’ve heard the term “radicalized Muslim” being used to describe people who have joined terrorist groups such as ISIS. It refers to a person who was living a basically peaceful and harmless existence then was convinced somehow to adopt a terrorist mindset and join a jihadist group or commit acts of terror on their own. […]
Jesus and the terrorist
Saul was a terrorist. His mission in life was to terminate everyone who believed in Jesus. It was an obsession. He breathed hatred for Christians. He despised them so much he wanted to rid the earth of them. He went from town to town on search and destroy missions. He would crash their meetings, torture […]
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You will find a baby
This is a suggestion for focusing on “finding” Christ in Christmas. You can call it a worship experience or a devotional or a quiet time or whatever fits. It’s not meant for just reading and being done with it. It is a personal activity. So if you choose to use it, I suggest you get […]
We’re all bastards, but…
I was born into and grew up in a really nice family. Two parents and six siblings. It was, for the most part, a peaceful and good family. By good I am referring to values and behaviors. We went to church all the time; once I gave up playing in a Little League baseball game […]