The realities of our world of darkness are regularly being unveiled; these are uncomfortable revelations. Confusion and conflict seem to rule this age. The values of our society seem so skewed from our understanding, and the ripple effect of this confusion reaches into every aspect of our society. In the course of 11 days, there […]
Preparing People to Meet Jesus
“and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Luke 1:17) Do you remember your first job interview? If it was a job […]
Responding with Goodness
We live in a sick, cursed world with sin-infected people! This is basic yet essential information. We’ve all been alive long enough to experience and expect evil treatment. We do not like to be mistreated; we do not like to experience evil. The question we must answer is, how should I respond? Briefly, we can […]
Life Prepares Us for the Gospel
We are continually being reminded that we live in a world broken by the curse. We feel it in our own weaknesses, failures, and sinfulness. We feel it as we grieve the lose of loved ones and as we feel helpless to aid those stricken with diseases. Yes, there is hope. Yes, we can remind […]
The Gospel Turns Everything Upside Down
In the movie National Treasure, Benjamin Gates is from a family seeking a massive treasure. The clues lead him to the conclusion that the key to finding this treasure can be found on the original Declaration of Independence (on the back). Ian Howe, a fellow treasure hunter decides he must steal the Declaration in order […]
A brief reflection on twenty years
When I was young and foolish, I remember thinking that someone who was capable of thinking in terms of decades (“Ten years ago, I….”) must have reached the status of “old.” Our perception of the relative length of a year varies inversely with the number of years we’ve had on this earth. Truly, the older […]
The Numbing of Our Minds
In 1964, The Righteous Brothers recorded a song entitled, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin.” I have jokingly sung this song occasionally to my wife when she has made a snide remark to me. The song declares a once tender, affectionate love that has come upon hard times. In a relationship built on a shaky foundation, […]
What Are You Hungry For?
My wife tries to feed me healthy foods (most of the time). She tries to ensure that I have vitamins and minerals (and sometimes essential oils – ugh). I very rarely have to think about what I will eat. For the last week or so, I have been on my own. It has been on […]
Desperate for Peace
The people who know me are well aware that I am a peace-loving person. Just recently, when a couple of my children were conflicting, I sat them down and told them that I’d rather that my car exploded than have them creating unrest in the house. I was trying to give them something to measure […]
15 Years of Jesus Loves Me
I just finished putting two littles down with Amy. We’ve been in this routine for a long time. There has been a fifteen year unbroken chain of nights putting kids down for bed. The routine involves all the normal activities: bathroom, teeth brushing, drink, story, a dozen questions, prayer, and finally, singing “Jesus Loves Me.” […]