PALM SUNDAY: THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY APRIL 5, 2020 READ: JOHN 12:12-50 “Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.” – John 12:35 This passage is bookended by prophecies and quotes about Jesus from the Old Testament, but John wants us to know that the disciples only figured this out after the fact. Nobody […]

[Jesus said,] “You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” – John 15:14-15 […]

Every new year, hope springs eternal about the prospect of starting over, at least for the first few days. Eventually, “making all things new” feels like another task that only causes us to feel worse about ourselves, with the mantra “another year, another you” proving itself false yet again. There within the act of all […]

I remember when I first dedicated my life to full time ministry. It was at a campfire service almost 25 years ago. My dad was asking people to come forward and throw their stick in the fire, a symbol of our lives as burnt offerings to God. Believe it or not, I was shy as […]

Doom and gloom seems to be a favorite pastime for many today: sitting around and complaining about how everything is going wrong and how the next generation doesn’t have the same values. It’s easy to join in the chorus of naysayers. Yet, whatever comfort we have in complaining, there is not much hope generated from […]

All Christian parents desire the spiritual wellbeing of their children. We want our children to be saved. We want them to find joy in God’s presence. We cannot imagine heaven being heaven unless our children are there. We want our children to have faith in God, but what are the elements of saving faith? Theologians […]

Luke 10:38-42, 18:18-30 Aside from being primarily the Good News about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Gospels are rich with lessons about the followers of Jesus. It details their coming to know Him, their slow and painful growth, and in some cases, even their falling away. But not all those who […]

Proverbs 22:6; Luke 15 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 ESV The promise of this proverb is a great encouragement to new parents who are frantically reading every book on child rearing while anxiously navigating the responsibilities of […]

II TImothy 2:1-7 “Why do they always come to my side of the bed when they need to throw up?” I asked my husband an honest question. One of our kids was sick that day, so it was time to put on the Nurse Mommy hat (and poncho). I changed cold compresses on her head, […]