10.2.23 Yes, the Bible was written thousands of years ago to the Jews and later to the Gentiles who were converting to Christianity, but the Bible is also full of stories and parables that are relevant to each of us in the 21st century: how we are to live as we follow Jesus and […]
Our parents are not perfect people who have loved us perfectly throughout our lives. What we receive from our parents is usually a combination of love for their children and an expression of their faults as well—that defines a good parent. Not so great parents may abuse or mistreat their children, they may be alcoholics […]
9.18.23 Jesus left us this promise in John 8:32: “The truth shall set you free.” I don’t think He was telling us to shout it from the rooftops, to tell everyone the truth about us, but more to admit the whole truth of who we are to ourselves and to God so that we […]
The first four of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-17) are clear that we are only to worship God, not anything or anyone else, that He is to be first for us in our hearts and minds and souls. No other images to worship, no misusing His name, but we are to honor the Sabbath […]
As I have followed Jesus to the best of my ability, and with amazing help from the Lord, I had hoped that all the old tendencies in me to worry or judge or fear in any way would go away as God healed me of the issues that stood between me and Him. But, all […]
What Jesus taught about loving our neighbors Years ago when I belonged to another church, I heard a woman say to her friends as they walked through the building: “I love everyone, but I don’t have to like them!” This is not what God meant: for Him, liking is a part of loving someone. […]
Not long after being tempted in the wilderness, Jesus climbed up a mountainside and began to teach. I believe that this Sermon on the Mount is a great summary of Jesus’s lifelong mission to broaden our interpretation of the Ten Commandments and of all that God requires of those who repent and follow Him. […]
8.14.23 As we begin to follow Jesus, it takes quite a while before we truly begin to feel the changes in our lives. We will sense those changes in terms of the fruit of the Spirit: love, peace, joy, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and humility (Gal. 5:22-23) arising in us. Or we will […]
8.7.23 Body, Mind, Heart, and Soul In the American culture, we are mostly defined by our minds, how we should think, what goals we want to set, how we are going to accomplish those goals, and more from our minds without even acknowledging the other parts of our being—our body, heart and soul. […]
7.31.23 Patience, Goodness, Kindness, Faithfulness, Gentleness This week I want to focus on these five fruit of the Spirit which are all part of the totality of love when we live in love, peace, joy, and humility, the other fruit of the Spirit described by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23. These five qualities that the […]