What is grace? Its depth exceeds the ocean which means the average believer (talking about myself here) doesn’t fully understand it. Some days, I’m not sure I have even scratched the surface of the awesomeness that is God’s amazing grace. Learn more about it in this post based on sermons from Pastor Jeff Harlan.
Three Reasons Why Politics Make Me Crazy
November is coming. Election advertisements take up about 70 percent of the commercial airtime on television
Three Biblical Examples of Friendship
All too often, we take our friends for granted. That flippant attitude often begins with our best friend, Jesus Christ.
Finding Friendship: Where do I start?
Friendship is more than following someone on Facebook. In our hectic lives, often it can be difficult to find time or energy for forming friendships. That’s bad news, because God created us to thrive on friendship.
Use What’s in Your Hand
My pastor inspired me with his recent sermon “What’s that in Thy Hand?” You can listen to it here. Although the title comes from the Old Testament, the sermon text was Acts 18:1-4. He pointed out that Paul was a tentmaker and proceeded to give three examples of men in the New Testament. The point: …
A Lesson on Grief from Job’s Wife
This year has dealt a number of losses to my family. Whether it's a job or a family member, a loss is painful and it needs to be grieved. Reflecting on it, sent me back to a post I wrote about grief and marriage many years ago. I still think Job’s wife gets a bum …
Seven Things God Wants for You
Sometimes, we act like figuring out what God wants from us is a big mystery. We stumble around scratching our heads and looking lost. The truth is different. God gives us guidance for living a purposeful and rest-filled life that honors him. Finding his will doesn’t take a special formula or a five-step plan. God …
Are You Practicing Real Rest?
Would you agree 2020 hasn't been an especially restful year? Even aside from mandatory stay-at-home orders and an unprecedented ban on travel, this year has been stormier than most. That's why I know my pursuit of rest comes from the Lord. What follows are tips I gleaned from a YouVersion reading plan based on a …
When Division Is More: A Look at Acts 15
Division in church is bad. Everyone will tell you that. I won't disagree, but I would like to point out that perspective is everything. And in Acts 15 division led to multiplication and growth. So should we condemn the process when it results in positive outcomes? Division in church is not what God wants. But …
God Uses Everyday People
Sometimes I read the Bible and get a bit intimidated by the giants of faith I see there. Okay, most of the time I get a LOT intimidated by them. That's one of the things I appreciated about a recent sermon about Mark. For those of you who haven't counted, Mark is mentioned by name …
Reflecting on the Longest Psalm
Over on the Facebook page, we're coming to the end of Forty Days in the Psalms. Reading and meditating on these poetic interludes made for a perfect way to spend the summer. It might surprise you to learn that I wrote a study book about this Psalm. That was five years ago, and each time …
