What’s In The Name?
“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” Exodus 20:7There are a lot of fun events associated with being a pastor. And...
View ArticleNew Creation People Part 2
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17We live in a phenomenally broken world. And a natural response is for our hearts to cry...
View ArticleLet’s Hear it for the Rules
“So then, the law is holy… righteous and good” Romans 7:12Most of us don’t really like rules. I don’t know why, but deep down inside we have an aversion to people telling us what to do and what not to...
View ArticleA Place Fit for a King!
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16While in seminary I worked as a bellman in a luxury hotel in Dallas. On most days it was a...
View ArticleThe Significance of Suffering
“Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:3Let’s be honest, most of us would have to admit that we have a natural aversion...
View ArticleCheerleading for Jesus
“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.… Whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” Philippians 1:15,18 It...
View ArticleGrisham’s Testament
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” 1 Timothy 6:10Any John Grisham fans out there?...
View ArticleAbandoned
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was...
View ArticleTrash Talk
“The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil . . . . It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” James 3:6One morning when I was pulling...
View ArticleNew Creation People Part 3
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17Discover what it means to daily live out your identity as a “New Creation Person” as Joe...
View ArticleA Worthy Offering
If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. —Genesis 4:7I was delighted when a mutual friend gave my neighbor a Bible. But my neighbor told me she stopped...
View ArticleHigh-Tech Communication
Now we have received . . . the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. —1 Corinthians 2:12When it comes to communication, our world is becoming...
View ArticleFriends in High Places
“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John...
View ArticleBull’s-eye
“…Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” Colossians 2:3Here’s some bad news: left to ourselves, we’re not very good shots when it comes to living. We are, at the core,...
View ArticleThe Good Old Days
“You have forsaken your first love.” Revelation 2:4I must confess: I’m a romantic at heart, which means I love to hear stories of how people met and fell in love. What’s more, I love to hear stories of...
View ArticleAsh-heap Christians
“The fire will test the quality of each man’s work” 1 Corinthians 3:13Several years ago, a series of fires raged through parts of southern California, fanned by the notorious Santa Ana winds. Laguna...
View ArticleThe Life God Loves to Partner With Part 1
"May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord," she said. "You have given me comfort and have spoken kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servant girls." Ruth...
View ArticleDon’t Forget
“Be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 6:12We all have little slips in our memory once in a while, right? I love the story about the guy who decided to...
View ArticleA Bigger Shovel
“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Corinthians 9:6It’s interesting to me that Jesus taught more about money than any other...
View ArticleA Boy’s Lunch
I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger. —John 6:35Once I made the mistake of thinking I could single-handedly finish a 28-ounce steak at a restaurant. I had the remainder boxed...
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