I’m Surprised
Over the last few weeks of Covid-19 in-home isolation I have been in various conversations with pastors in our region about the corporate gathering of their people...and I am puzzled and surprised by the lack of urgency in most of…
Just One Obedience
God always begins with the end in mind. A friend of mine used to say that all the time and how comforting that is for all of us when it comes to trusting Him with the final outcome of our…
God Did What?!
I have an Ethiopian pastor friend who talks to me about a “made-in-America” brand of Christianity and how little it resembles the lives of Christians in the rest of the world. I heard a famous young celebrity preacher make two…
I Saw The Lord
Maybe it’s the general impact of what we are all experiencing right now... Maybe it’s the particular frame of mind that I’m in, as we (as a church) wrestle with the pastoral implications of isolation... Maybe it’s the way all…
Miracle in the Routine
Like a discouraged Elijah, retreating from our troubles and hiding in a cave on the mountain, we have an expectation that God will meet with us and answer us in the whirlwind, the earthquake or with fire from heaven. Something…
It’s All About Proximity
I wasn’t planning on writing a blog today. Too much to do. But the first chapter in my daily reading plan was 1 Samuel 3... and here I am. I can’t not write a blog. Young Samuel is serving as…
Not All That
There are several stories in the Bible that stop me cold. They leave me feel uneasy. From my limited human perspective they seem unfair, and all I can do when I read them is to reaffirm my conviction that God’s…
Consult the Lord
I am afraid that there have been too many times in my life that I have not consulted the Lord re: decisions and direction. In personal and ministry-related decisions. You do due diligence. You carefully read all the signs. You…
Bring Your Words
There is something extremely powerful in the words that audibly come out of our mouths. First, and possibly most importantly, because our words are a testament to what is already in our hearts (Luke 6:45). But, secondly, and actually the…