Tag: hope

• March 31, 2017

  The Merciful Reign

  Okay – so, we’re going to be reading Matthew 20:29-34 this Sunday – and instead of my normal post, I thought I’d upload a chapter from Rabbi Encounters that recounts the story (although, it’s actually from Mark’s account – so there’s only one person instead of two). Anyway – enjoy, and be thinking about God’s…
• August 19, 2016

  Trust Him

  How easy is it for you to trust someone? We may consider ourselves to be “trusting souls”, but the reality is we often find it difficult to place our trust in someone else. A lot of factors go into that – past experiences, our own sense of frailty when it comes to trustworthiness, and a…
• June 17, 2016

  God’s Rule in Action

  I remember once when my wife and I were going to turn an enclosed porch area on the back of our house into an extra bedroom for our boys. We planned and considered how this could be accomplished and what it would take. We drew a lot of diagrams on napkins and contemplated this task…
• April 29, 2016

  Beginning Again, Again

  This Sunday we’ll be continuing our study of the little book of Jonah – reading chapter 3. Have you ever felt like you’ve messed up too many times and it feels almost insincere to start asking God to forgive and set you a new path. I hope you haven’t, because I can tell you from my…
• January 15, 2016

  The Story of Faith

  My formative Christian years were spent embracing what has popularly come to be known as “the health and wealth” gospel. I was told that if I had the right amount of faith, I could get God to do my bidding and provide me fabulous toys and inexhaustible wellness. Hebrews chapter 11 was a go-to source for…
• January 1, 2016

  The Single Sacrifice

  There are some things I have to do every day, day in and day out. Brushing my teeth is an example. But there are many, many more things that I have to attend to or practice every day. All of us have those. I can’t brush my teeth once and assume that they are now…
• October 23, 2015

  Enduring to the End

  “And so we came to Rome.” We’ve come to the end of our study through the book of Acts. This Sunday we’ll finish up by reading Acts 28:11-31. It’s been quite a journey, reading through the account of this Ragamuffin Revolution. We’ve witnessed a lot of things along the way. Paul has gone through an…
• November 3, 2012

  Living Like a Native Foreigner

  Hey all…sorry for the delay in posting. Still trying to get back into the swing of things after getting home. I fear some of Africa is still loathe to let me go…but I’ll forego the details. This Sunday we’ll be starting a new series in 1 Peter!   Well just be doing the introduction and…
• January 6, 2012

  Great Hope for Screw-Ups

  Well, the holidays are over and somehow it really feels good to get back into our routines.  One of those routines being our study of the Gospel of Luke. Have you ever messed something up royally…I mean, done something that you wish everyone would just forget forever, including yourself? I know I have a huge…
• May 13, 2011

  The Finder of the Lost

  Ever lose anything…like something pretty important?  What was it?  How did you feel, what did you do?  If you found it again, what emotions did you experience? I lost my dog Shadow once…but I’ll tell that story on Sunday. Jesus goes toe to toe with Pharisee lame-ness in our passage this Sunday, Luke 15:1-10. The…