Many folks we meet everyday don’t understand that Jesus is the King of Kings and ruler over all things both in heaven and on earth. They also have not heard that Jesus is appointed as the One who will judge the world in righteousness on a day that has already been set.As the Apostle Paul went on his missionary journeys and also while under arrest, he “proclaimed the Kingdom of God and taught about...

On Valentine’s Day, it is difficult to escape the prominent role that “love” or ‘true love” has in our culture.  Our culture has a fascination with “true love”—from romance novels to Hallmark movies, from dating apps to advice columnists.  Even advertising draws on romance to market its wares.  But can we really find “true love” in this life?  As a follower of Jesus, are we subtlety accepting cult...

Matthew 22:37-40 "Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, this is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."How do we love God with all the heart, soul, and with all the mind ? And our neighbor...

The book of Hebrews is written to a body of believers that includes a few individuals that are considering returning to their Jewish religion and turning their backs on Jesus Christ. The author pleads with the hearers through a series of sermons to not drift, not turn their back, and not be sluggish in their faith. Comparing Jesus the Messiah, as superior to each of the components of the Jewish re...

Fasting is a Biblical practice that is not often thought of as part of the modern Christian culture in America. What is it for? Why would you do it? What are the benefits? I recently did a small study on fasting in the Bible. To my surprise, there was not a lot of focus in the Bible on how to fast. Fasting is only mentioned a handful of times in the Old Testament and again in the New Testament. T...

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”1 Thessalonians 5:9–11 (ESV)Towards the end of 2024, many of my family, friends and coworkers found themselves dealing with some extremely heavy ...

Proverbs 3:5-6  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart                              And do not lean on your own understanding.        In all your ways acknowledge Him,     And He will make your paths straight." Roundabout paths are tough.  I remember an “opportunity” Heather and I had 13 years ago during our 20th anniversary. We were blessed to be able to leave our kids with my parents in Oah...

If you could be any character in the Christmas story, to witness the first nativity first hand, what character would you want to be and why?  That was the question we recently posed at a Christmas party with our church life group. Answers we heard – wise men, Joseph, the inn keeper, even animals in the stable. No one said Mary.  But the most popular answer – a shepherd. Why a shepherd? Because the...

Proverbs 1:1-71 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:2 To know wisdom and instruction,To discern the sayings of understanding,3 To receive instruction in wise behavior,Righteousness, justice, and integrity;4 To give prudence to the naïve,To the youth knowledge and discretion,5 A wise person will hear and increase in learning,And a person of understanding will acquire wise couns...

In this season of Advent, as we reflect on Jesus Christ being born in the flesh as a baby, let us consider Jesus’ first coming from the perspective of His great sacrifice for you and for me. The Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in it entered into his own creation, leaving the glory He had with the Father before the world began, entering into humanity to give His very life as a ...

Many more phone calls have been appearing on my phone labeled “Spam Risk” over the last few weeks. I haven’t done anything differently with my phone, but they are now up to 5+ calls a day. I have received several data breach notices from cyber security companies within the past couple of months. What is a data breach? Data breaches are security incidents where information is accessed, stolen, and ...

Our God has given each of us choices in this life.  The most important choices are to choose Him, the One and only True God or Satan the deceiver and father of lies. Unfortunately, our choices divide us. Those of us that believe in Jesus as Lord may sometimes disagree.  This can be good because He did not make us all the same. We are not all mature Christians.  We are all being sanctified forever ...

The book of Ezekiel opens with a fantastic vision — one which is difficult to express in human language — involving four-faced living beings with wings; wheels within wheels, moving in all directions; and a figure that looked like a man, and which, apparently, was God Himself.In the middle of all this, Ezekiel heard a voice speaking to him, giving him a mission: Declare God’s message to the people...

Many of you know that our family just returned from a trip to Philadelphia. As we visited many sites significant to our country’s independence, I was struck with how important words are. For example, we visited Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed. (See pictures.)           We only half-jokingly wondered if there really is a map on the back of the Declaration of Indep...

John 9:25 ”One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”Can you imagine opening your eyes and seeing for the first time? The colors, the sights, but most important seeing the faces of your loved ones. How amazing that would be!In the same way we need to have our spiritual eyes opened to see the world through God’s eyes; to see the lost and lonely, and to understand that spiritual warfare ...

The Old Testament is important to our Christian faith because it teaches us about who God is, that is, about His holy character and what His gracious love is like. Interestingly, these things aren't taught to us directly through divinely guided theological reflections (cf. like with the New Testament letters), but more indirectly, through narratives (cf. as in Genesis and the first part of Exodus)...

“Lord, Why Am I in Jail?” the Apostles must have been thinking. They were doing exactly what the Lord had told them to do. They were in the center of God’s will. Their consciences were clear as it always is when we simply do what Jesus tells us to do.In Acts 4 they were telling folks about Jesus and were “seized” by the guards and ended up spending the night in jail. They were unashamed because th...

Mark 11:22 "Jesus answered and said have faith in GOD." The Bible teaches in Hebrews 11:6 " But without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he that comes to GOD must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." To believe GOD, one must accept the Bible as the inspired word of GOD. The Bible is the complete and full revelation of who GOD is. To reject the Bi...

I couldn’t sleep the other night because I was thinking about the state of our country and world. We are distracted by so many things. Terror in Israel, politics, assassination attempt, anti-Christian message from the Olympics, the organization that is supposed to be bringing the whole world together is failing in its “goal.†But for a Christian, all of this is a distraction. It seems to me ....

I Corinthians 1:26-31“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are...