Leader || Preacher || Teacher
I arrived late to class and noticed that the mood in the room was anxious and tense. The students and teacher were speculating about an event that was happening in New York. I was confused and wasn’t following the conversation. “What happened? What are you talking about?” It was Tuesday, September 11, 2001
“We eat, we drink, the next day we die,” and that’s all there is to it. But don’t fool yourselves. Don’t let yourselves be poisoned by this anti-resurrection loose talk. “Bad company ruins good manners.” – 1 Cor 15:32-33 (MSG Bible). I believe these words are fitting for our society’s current state as we are surrounded by bad news, fake news, moral outrage, hot topics, and hot takes. Our hearts are pulled into perpetual fear anticipating the next big failure, with a limited view of possible solutions. It is no wonder politics (based on fear, doomsday rhetoric, and outrage) are our religion and those in office are our saviors.
Continue reading “Good News: Believe It”
Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount are narrowed in their focus. He desires that his followers be changed from the inside out. Inner transformation leads to external obedience. Jesus chooses to focus on your heart. He also chooses to end his sermon with an appeal to wise faith.
When we sold our house in Dothan, AL we began packing up our belongings and had multiple garage sales. After the final garage sale, we decided that whatever was left in the garage would be donated to the Rescue Mission. There was some really good stuff in that garage that was difficult to part with. The problem was that all our household possessions needed to fit in a single storage unit and even though we didn’t know where we would be moving, we knew that a moving company would charge us by weight. We had to part with things that at one time we thought we never would. Treasured items found a new home. Continue reading “The Good Place: Treasure Tomorrow”
What does cursing a fig tree, overturning money tables, throwing a mountain into the sea, prayer, and forgiveness have to do with having faith in God? Well, everything. And for Jesus, they represent obstacles and a reordering of the path of salvation for all people.
The Babylonians invaded Judah in 605 BC and took many young Jewish males into captivity. They took the best and brightest which included Daniel. Daniel may have been around 15 years old at the time (a teachable age). The Babylonians would then convert their captives to the ways of their culture. These young men after a three-year training were to become servants to the king. They would receive a privileged status.
That doesn’t sound too bad, right? Tempting, is it not? Continue reading “Self-Indulgence VS Self-Sacrifice”
Demons cringe at his presence and know who he is. They submit to his authority and release those they hold captive at the sound of his name. They become obedient to his will and cannot escape his reach. Some think this is because demons and Jesus are “family.” In Mark’s gospel, Jesus has authority over demons because he is releasing people to join his family, the family of God.
“I don’t know what to pray for anymore or what I should pray, can you please pray for my mother?” My mother died of cancer in 2007. If you are a person of faith and have ever walked with a loved one as they are living out their last days and the hope of healing diminishes, then you may have experienced a weariness in your prayers. I have. When I struggled to find the strength to pray and what I should pray. I looked to someone else that had what I considered to be a bigger picture of God and his Spirit. Continue reading “Pray for My Mother”
Church planting isn’t totally like going to space, but it does have some similarities. As a kid I dreamt about becoming an astronaut. I imagined myself going through the months of training and then the day of the launch. Even though I was full of excitement I also had a little bit of fear. How fast would the rocket be going? Would I survive the launch? Would I wet my pants? So many important questions for a kid. And here I am now, definitely not a kid and definitely not an astronaut, but very excited about a different launch that God has been preparing my family for.
There is a story included in both Matthew and Luke of Jesus healing a Roman Centurion’s servant. Healing someone is amazing but that is not the most amazing part of the story. Well, according to Jesus it isn’t.