Just as Jesus was one with the Father’s will and God’s power, so you and I, the more we willingly meld our wills with the Lord’s, will receive God’s vision, all the things God has planned for us, and the power to do it all. Continue reading Gospel of John: The Big Reveal
Relief may feel like satisfaction for a while. But true satisfaction, the deep and lasting kind, can only come through faith in Jesus, personally relating to Jesus and responding to him in faith, living it out because you believe. Continue reading Gospel of John: From Faith to Faith
Each contest included a cycle of three plagues. In this talk, originally delivered at New Hope Chapel, Arnold, MD, I pick up the series at the seventh plague, and show a pattern emerging of a progressive revelation of God. Continue reading The Seventh Plague, Exodus 9
A superficial faith reduces Christianity to a philosophy, a formula, a system of rituals. A superficial faith keeps worship on Sunday and has real life on the other six days. It says that religion is something private, a matter of opinion, a sidebar to the things of life. Continue reading Gospel of John: Gauntlet Dropped
We might have heard other people tell us to “take it to Jesus” and now we are wondering just exactly what does “taking it to Jesus” mean? Continue reading Gospel of John: Faith on the Line
And my next question to myself is how what I support reflects that truth? How much of my church’s budget, for example, a budget I regularly contribute to, is spent on a terrific worship service Sunday morning compared to developing, sustaining, and handing on depth and breadth of relationship with our Lord? Compared to caring for our community, and our earth? What concerns our church governing board the most—money? Numbers of people on a Sunday morning? Continue reading The Book of Generations: Two Beginnings
As I reflect on my own faith, I have to ask myself in what ways does my life reflect my statement that nothing is more important to me than relationship with God, and passing that on to the next generation? How does the way I channel my resources, the way I prioritize my energy, and my focus, the way I live out my dailies, reflect what I say is my conviction? Continue reading Love God With All Your Mind
We might say, from Cain’s life, that he certainly believed God existed, he believed God was God. He surely understood the story of creation, the stories his parents had told him of Eden. He had assuredly seen with his own eyes the seraphim with their flaming swords, guarding the gates of paradise. He had even made, albeit half-hearted, sacrifices to God. There was nothing missing in Cain’s belief system. So, what made Cain different than Seth? Continue reading Enoch Walked By Faith
