My daughter saves her deepest theological questions for bedtime. She doesn’t give a rip about theology, but she cares deeply about delaying bedtime. If Daddy is foolish enough to take the bait on Who made God-type questions, she wins. Even though her greatest need is rest, she thinks her late-night allies are unsolvable religious questions. In…
It’s an everyday observation now: Jesus was a friend to sinners. I read or hear it nearly everywhere I turn—so much, in fact, I wonder if we’ve thought it through completely. Let’s give it a try today: One of the most amazing (and challenging) things about Jesus is he's a friend of sinners, but no…
Sometimes all it takes is one key phrase to spark an entire sermon. Christmas preaching is no different. This year, try looking at the phrases you might be tempted to skip over—there might be enough material to ignite all of your Christmas preaching in just one passage. Take Luke’s famous account of the annunciation: In…
Thanksgiving posts always seem to sound like such a scolding: we ought to give thanks. Think about all the things you have and all other people who have nothing. There, now: give thanks. Don’t concentrate on what is missing, be grateful for what you have. There, now: give thanks. Ungrateful people are losers. There,…
Doubt kept me from indigestion because I had to take things one bite at a time. Here are four things Thomas taught me about doubt.
Church Planting lessons can come from the least expected sources. For example, my 5th-grader. I asked her to clean her toy closet. What I gained was valuable insight into how to welcome people of all kinds. Like most children, she resists cleaning-up anything. And like most children, she has perfected the art of procrastination. No…
We began to see the issue was fruit, not knowledge: God was concerned with the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.
The Apostle Paul uttered the inspired phrase, “the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom . . .” So why are we still obsessed with man’s wisdom?
“Repent” is the first word of the good news. That means preaching repentance is part of the good news! Faith and hope come as we rethink our way of life based upon what God has already done.
Teshuva is the Hebrew word for repent, or return. In its various forms the root of teshuva is used nearly a thousand times in the Old Testament.
