When Trials Come, Look to Jesus
Every one of us has experienced a parental fail. If you’re a parent, you can point to those times when you messed up. (Maybe as recently as this morning!) If you’re not a parent, there are likely times when your own parents made bad decisions or acted in a way… Read More
Taking that First Step into the New Reality
When everything returns to ‘normal’ Earlier this week I sat down with a group of parishioners to discuss the logistics of how to return to corporate worship once the lockdown restrictions are eased. There we sat with our masks on, with no intention to engage in physical contact, e.g. shaking hands… Read More
What to Do with Fear
What to do with fear What do we do when we feel afraid? In A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis writes, “You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death.… Only real risk tests the reality of a belief.”… Read More
Crushed and Broken? God Is Still with You!
As a kid, one of my favorite things to do was to color. I was a perfectionist. I had to stay inside the lines at all times. Crayola was my favorite brand of crayon because they color the best. You couldn’t bring me cheap crayons because I wouldn’t use them. Read More
Peace Be with You!
He Is Risen! It was late that [Easter] Sunday evening, and the [believers] were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the [COVID-19]. Then Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. ‘Tis true. The preceding paragraph was adapted from John’s Gospel,… Read More
Prayer for Restoration in Our Suffering
Dear readers, we find ourselves in a challenging time as a nation. Our lives have been turned upside down by the COVID-19 outbreak. Some of us are unable to leave our homes, some have lost employment, some are sick, and some of our loved ones have died. We can’t attend… Read More
Only 9 Months ’til Christmas
It’s too early to think about Christmas! If you are observing the season of Lent, you know that we are in the fourth week of Lent with less than three weeks until the great celebration of Easter. Celebrating Christmas is probably not on your radar at all. And that’s understandable. Read More
Our Wisdom Is Foolishness to God
Boy, we don’t like to hear that! All of our accumulated wisdom from over 7 billion people multiplied over millennia adds up to a bunch of foolishness. The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:18-19a, “Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you… Read More
Memorization: Getting God’s Word Inside You
Memorization has been on my mind and on my task list recently, including preparing a list of the top 10 Bible passages everyone should memorize. One candidate for that top-ten list of memory verses is Paul’s reminder in Philippians 4:8 to “fill your mind with those things that are good.”… Read More
Journey with Jesus in the Desert
The season of Lent is upon us, beginning last week with Ash Wednesday. In many churches, clergy traced ashes across recipients’ foreheads, reciting the words, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.” This somber reminder led us into a 40-day journey, mirroring Jesus’s time of being… Read More