July 7, 2024 — “Ministry” is one of those churchy words that is often used, yet perhaps not fully understood. Ministry comes from the Latin word for “service.” Ministry involves serving others with love, compassion, and empathy. Helping someone with physical needs is sometimes called “compassion ministry.” Helping someone with their spiritual needs, sharing the…
June 2 2024 — After a long day of work, you have earned the right to sit down in your favorite chair, put your feet up, and watch your favorite program. After a hard week on the job, you have earned the opportunity to relax a bit that weekend. After doing your job well for…
Trinity Sunday, May 26 2024 — No Christian teaching demonstrates that we have a top-down faith more than the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Scripture teaches that there is only one God. Yet that God exists as three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Incomprehensible! It is the type of teaching about which the…
May 19 2024 — Jesus told His disciples that, though He was going to ascend into heaven, He wasn’t going to leave them alone. He was going to send “the Advocate,” a title for the Holy Spirit. But Jesus wasn’t sending the Spirit just to keep us company. Jesus would have the Advocate give us…
May 12 2024 — Conventional wisdom would say if Christ has ascended into heaven, He is further away from His followers than when He was visibly on earth. The resurrection reality is that it is the other way around. Now that Christ has ascended, He is closer than ever. The living and ascended Savior has…
May 5 2024 — The entirety of God’s Word can be summed up in one word: love. God’s Law is all about love. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37,39). The gospel is all about love: “For God so loved the world that He gave…
April 28 2024 — Generally, our actions are shaped by our beliefs. People who eat low-carb diets do so, probably not because they hate pasta, but because they believe it healthiest. If a man buys stock in a company, it probably is because he believes in their business plan. Our beliefs shape our behavior. This…
April 21 2024 — Scripture frequently pictures spiritual care in terms of a shepherd watching over sheep. Even folks unfamiliar with shepherding are able to grasp the meaning. Sheep are helpless animals—an easy meal for predators. For sheep to survive they needed a shepherd who not only leads them to sources of food, but who…
April 14 2024 — A platitude is a statement aimed at helping soothe some sort of emotional unease. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Or “Life is a mystery.” Or “Good things come to those who wait.” While platitudes may be well-intentioned, at best they come off as trite. And since platitudes provide no…
April 7 2024 — In most world religions, the alleged foundational event was experienced by only one person. A self-proclaimed prophet would allege he alone had some special encounter with God. “No really! Just trust me. It really happened.” The resurrection reality is so very different. In the Great Resurrection Chapter (1 Corinthians 15, which…