There's not much positive to be found in the story of the miserable failure of the Israelites in their wilderness wanderings. Paul's New Testament summary of the account he gives to the Corinthians is a tightly-packed catalog of forty years of failure (1 Corinthians 10:1-11). The new nation of Israel...
I’ve been enjoying staring at this painting of Glacier National Park for a while. Something about the lighting and the composition is compelling. There’s a beckoning to the rays coming from behind the trees. The rocks in the bottom-left balance the shadows on the right. The soaring mountains in the...
The idea of our “Afterthoughts” column is to revisit something from the previous week’s message that we either did not have time to cover or on which we would like to expand. This week, I’d like to offer a few “random thoughts” on this past Sunday. I hope they will...
She heard yelling and a commotion from the booth next to the Dutch Cheeseman’s booth where she was working for the weekend. The European Market was in town and booths had been set up right along the waterfront between the city’s main square and the pier, aptly named “Audace” or...
For the past couple of Sundays, we have been in the text of 1 Corinthians 8. The issue in Corinth was eating meat sacrificed to idols. Perhaps the most difficult interpretive question is this: “What is today’s cultural equivalent to eating meat sacrificed to idols?” There are actual equivalents in parts of...
"Worship rises or falls with our concept of God," said A.W. Tozer. Our understanding of God will indeed determine our worship of Him. If our knowledge of God is small, our worship will be impoverished; if our understanding of God is big, our worship will be grand and expansive. The...
The portion of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians we looked at on Sunday can be hard to hear for many. In walking through the different scenarios of broken hearts, lost loved ones, and shattered marriages, Paul takes many of us on a journey through our most painful memories. Sadness, guilt,...
Mac or PC? Tea or Coffee? Mountain hike or day at the beach? Coke or Pepsi? Republican or Democrat? Analog or digital? Bach or The Beatles? Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings? We live in a world constant and often very strong preferences for this or that. In...
The Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade should be roundly celebrated in America. For nearly fifty years, abortion on demand has been the "law of the land." Christians must recognize that a nation that assents to the killing of unborn children cannot escape the notice and judgment of...
“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either, but right through every human heart.” —Alexander Solzhenitsyn The Greek philosophy of dualism has found its way into much of western culture. Plato's understanding of reality divides the world into the material...
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love which with He loved us," Ephesians 2:4 There are many verses in the Bible that start with the conjunction but. This verse is compelling. The previous verses remind us we were dead in our sins and formerly walked in disobedience....
Our Savior once taught, as He often did, in the presence of certain Pharisees. These men were experts in their understanding of the Scriptures and they were the first to boast of their superior spiritual zeal. When Jesus at another time described the hypothetical prayer of a Pharisee congratulating himself...
It’s graduation season, and another batch of young men and women is preparing to leave our youth ministry and move into the next season of life with the new responsibilities, opportunities, dangers, and joys it will hold. Though it does not compare to the experience of our parents, I can’t...
The night before Jesus went to the cross He taught the disciples the importance of clean feet. Getting up from the table, Jesus took a basin of water, wrapped Himself in the towel of a servant, and went from dirty foot to dirty foot – wetting, wiping, drying – as...
Imago Dei is Latin for "the image of God." Imago Dei is an essential theological concept in Scripture, "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the...
Both of my grandparents on my mother’s side were lovers of church music, and both possessed degrees in studying it. Time spent in their home often included listening to recordings and performances of famous classical or church music. My personal library now contains dozens of hymn books that they have...
What’s the difference between Friday and Sunday? This week, quite a lot. On this Easter weekend, we observe Good Friday, but we celebrate Resurrection Sunday. The last week of Jesus’ life was filled with highs and lows. He rode into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey. He was celebrated by the people of...
Turns are usually the most interesting part of…anything that can turn. The turn in the plot while watching a movie or reading a good book. The turn in the road that brings new views and reveals the hidden. The turn of a race car tire when the flag waves, or...
H. A. Ironside recounted a story that a Bishop Potter of New York used to tell of himself. “He was sailing for Europe in one of the great trans-Atlantic liners. When he went on board, he found another passenger was to share the cabin with him. After going to see...
What in the world is going on? That’s a good question this week. After weeks and months of speculation, war has erupted as Russia invaded Ukraine in the largest military action in Europe since World War II. We see the attack on Ukrainian cities, airports, and military facilities with our...