On the wall of my church study is a beautiful cross that my sister made for me one year for my birthday. It’s artistic – a collage of breaking waves and deep forests. It is inspired by the brightly colored crosses you see all over Latin America – which are painted with scenes of villages […]
Dr. Keith Wagner once wrote about the devastation caused by the eruption of Mount Saint Helen in 1980. The forests were destroyed by fire, and the rivers were choked with debris. Fish and other wildlife died. Toxic fumes filled the air, and the future for the area seemed bleak. However, less than a year after […]
Sometimes people ask me: Are you saved? Do you ever get that? And the answer is of course, yes. That is a gift from Jesus. But we have to be careful not to reduce it, not to become simplistic about it. Because the life of faith is the journey of a lifetime. It goes far […]
One of the podcasts I listen to regularly is called Farnam Street. It is hosted by a man named Shane Parish who had previously worked for the Canadian equivalent of the CIA. He interviews people from all walks of life who are top in the field: Four four-star generals, Fortune 500 CEOs, Hedge Fund Managers, […]
Years ago, I remember one of my daughters asking me, “Daddy, what was here before God?” I answered, “Honey, God has always been here, and God will always be here.” “How is that possible?” she replied. “Hmmm. The truth is, I don’t know.” It is difficult to get our minds around the concept of eternity. […]
Psalm 55 begins, “Give ear to my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself from my supplication. Attend to me and answer me. I am troubled in my complaint.” Then, in verse 17 the song continues, “But I call upon God and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter […]
There’s a story about a young dating couple who went camping together one cold fall night. When they went to bed that night, she was sleeping on a cot and he was on the floor in a sleeping bag. Just after they turned out the lantern, the girlfriend leaned over and said, “Honey, it sure […]
One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 46. This Psalm has been read for centuries by people during times of great need or crisis. We read this Psalm in our church the night of 9/11/2001. We read it again at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic – as our church was about to close. Most […]
The letter to the Philippians is one of Paul’s warmest letters. It was also one of his most joy-filled. It is written to a group of people he knew and loved. What is so amazing is that he wrote it from prison, and even as he wrote it, he was facing capital charges. He knew […]
Over the past two days, I reflected on the question of war and our Christian response. Personally, I am more and more aware that the seeds of anger, hate and violence are in every human heart… Those seeds have always been there… since the dawn of civilization… since Cain and Abel… And while you and […]
