From the Blog
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People Need People
We have more communication technology, but less person to person communication. We have more social media, but less time socializing together. We’ve supersized our stuff, but we’ve downsized our time with others. As a result we are becoming more and more isolated from our families and communities. That’s why the call of Christ is a simple call to a personal relationship. Jesus says, “Come, follow me.” Jesus wants to connect us to God and to God’s family.
In the book of Romans chapter 12, the apostle Paul appealed to believers to fully devote themselves to God, which would lead to a transformed and renewed mind that would know and follow the will of God (Rom.12:1-2). He then instructed them in the new way they were to think of themselves and one another in Christ. We can have this new way of thinking of ourselves and one another in Christ. -
First Things First
Do you have a hurried life? Hurriedness is more than a bad habit, it reveals a condition of the heart. Did you know that God cares about your heart? That He cares about your love? What you put first?
In the gospel according to Mark, Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment. In a sense he was asked to simplify all of the writings of Scripture down to one simple statement. Jesus didn’t pause. He gave them a simple command to put loving God first in their lives. -
Less is More
Our world has gotten overwhelming and complicated. Everything in your life takes up space. Whether it’s mental space, physical space, relational space or calendar space, you only have so much room.
How can we make space in our lives for what really matters? What if there was one singular and simple secret for having less useless and harmful clutter in your life and having more space for a better life? In the book of Matthew, Jesus called His disciples by simply saying, “Follow me.” Jesus called them to a relationship with Him that would lead them into full and abundant life, a better life. Of course, this meant leaving many other things behind. Jesus makes this same simple call to us. How do we answer His call? -
Resolved 2023 – To Do One Thing
Do you have a singular focus? If you are anything like me and the majority of people around you then you are probably overwhelmed by a multiciplity of priorities. Wife, kids, friends, family, work, health, bills, school … and the list goes on. Most of us have so many priorities that they are competing for our attention and maybe none get our best effort. Do you ever walk in a room and forget why you went in there? So many of us are living life this way, going from focus to focus with complete chaos in the mind.
What if we had one singular purpose as Christians? What if that one purpose could change everything? In Philippians chapter 3, the apostle Paul encouraged the church in Philippi to make attaining Christlikeness their one priority just as he had. We can make attaining Christlikeness our one priority. -
Advent Means Love
Above all else Advent, which means arrival or coming, is about God’s love coming to us! You see, that’s what motivated the greatest gift ever given. It was God’s love. Yes, Jesus was wrapped in swaddling cloths, but more than that, He was wrapped in God’s love. As the Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave.” What did He give? He gave us Jesus.
As the prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given” (Isa. 9:6). And as the angels proclaimed, “Unto you is born this day” (Luke 2:11). Jesus is God’s gift of love to us… to you!
So, God has given us this gift. It’s for you. It’s got your name on it. But it’s not really yours until you open it and receive it for yourself. -
Advent Means Joy
Isn’t “joy” supposed to be what the Christmas season is about? Isn’t it why we say, “Merry Christmas?” The Advent season is an invitation for us to consider the promise of joy found only in Christ. In Peter’s first epistle, he encouraged the dispersed believers throughout Asia Minor to find their true joy in Christ.…
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Advents Means Peace
Where is the peace we are promised in the Christmas story? Today’s news is filled with stories of war. As the prophet Jeremiah said, "People are saying, 'Peace, peace’ when there is no peace."
Are you at peace today? Do you have a deep, abiding, quiet sense of peace? Or are you struggling with anxiety and a sense of disquiet and disorder? The Advent season is an invitation for us to consider the promise of peace found only in Christ. God’s peace is more than the absence of hostility. It is a divine state of tranquility and well-being, with God, self, and others. In the gospel of John, he reported how Jesus gave His disciples a promise of peace in Him at the last supper the night before His crucifixion. We can have this peace that Christ alone can give. -
With Thanksgiving
Perhaps true thanksgiving doesn’t come from better circumstances. Maybe thanksgiving is a spiritual muscle that has to be worked out. Perhaps it's possible to be truly thankful all the more in those dark days. Perhaps it's possible to be joyful and thankful even in a prison cell, unsure whether you will be released or executed.
In Philippians chapter 4, while imprisoned in Rome, the apostle Paul encouraged the believers in Philippi to put their faith into practice and the God of peace would be with them. We can put our faith into practice and the God of peace will be with us. -
A Greater Priest
Do you ever feel like Job? “If only there were someone who could bring me together with God!” Someone who not only understands you and your situation, but also is able to bring you near to God? That was the purpose of the Old Testament high priest. He represented the people before God. Yet, they had shortcomings. Their ministry was always only a foreshadowing of the ministry of Jesus Christ.
In Hebrews 5:1-10, the author helped the Hebrew background believers understand why Jesus is a greater high priest. We can understand why Jesus is the greater high priest. -
A Greater Access
We all want special treatment, special access, especially to something or someone we deem important or valuable to us. We want to go backstage. We want to be able to sit in the reserved seats. We want to sit courtside and actually meet the players and coaches and feel that we’re part of the team. We all have this deep need to know and be known. At its deepest level, I think this is a God-given desire for fellowship, with God and with others. God made us that way. And we’ll feel disconnected and spiritually empty until we find access to Him.
How are you feeling about your relationship with God today? Do you feel close to God or distant today? Do you feel you have VIP access to Him In Hebrews 4:14-16, the Jewish background believers were challenged to respond rightly to Jesus as the great high priest opening up a greater access to God’s throne of grace. We can respond rightly to Jesus as the great high priest who opens up greater access to God.