What battle are you facing today? What fears are overwhelming? What floods are overpowering? Are you unsure how to fix what’s broken, repair what’s been lost, or fight what’s coming against you? Sometimes, the best thing we can honestly pray is,“Lord, I don’t know what to do, but I look to You.”
How we finish our lives has a profound, lasting impact for the LORD and influence on future generations. Will we have a fantastic finish? Or simply fade away? Will those following behind us walk by faith in the LORD because of us – or despite us?
On the Thursday before Jesus' crucifixion, He said: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” Maundy Thursday reminds us of His final and foremost command to love one another.
Sometimes we feel lost. Sure, with modern technology like GPS, Google Maps, AirTags, and other devices, we can pinpoint our exact geographical location and find our way in new areas. But I’m talking about feeling lost: wondering, wandering, and waiting. Because life is confusing and relationships are complicated, we can easily get distracted and quickly … Continue reading Lost
At the start of 2024, many of us are already feeling too busy, overwhelmed, and weary. It seems there's too much to do and never enough time to do it. Where do busy people find rest? In Jesus. How? By ruthlessly eliminating hurry in our lives to make space for a relationship with Him.
Some wounds won’t be completely healed, some pain won’t be totally relieved, some injustices won’t be fairly corrected, and some deep longings won’t be fully met until Jesus returns to reign and return us to our eternal home with Him.
Just a few months after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American in Ferguson, MO in August, 2014, I began meeting with a racially diverse group of pastors to build friendships, establish trust, and prepare to lead our churches and community in case a "Ferguson" situation occurred locally. We began meeting every other … Continue reading Racism. What can we do?
On most Sunday afternoons, I’m thinking about the message I preached that morning. Almost every Monday morning, I’m still processing what I could have said differently, explained more clearly, or, perhaps, illustrated better the day before. I wish I had sermon do-overs. I imagine most everyone who communicates on a regular basis (teachers, professors, salespeople, … Continue reading Enough
The only solution for days of disappointment is to look upward to God. That’s not trite. It’s real.
By the time we get to the Old Testament Chronicles (reading through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation), we’re tired of history. Done. After all, the Chronicles seems to repeat what we’ve just read in Samuel and Kings. Making it more difficult, it seems, is the really slow beginning of nine chapters of genealogies. Name after … Continue reading Chronicles
following Jesus 