Leaving or Keeping in the Love of God
The times are crazy and chaotic. People who once worshipped Jesus are walking away from Him and even teachers of Jesus are departing from Him. God’s people are disoriented and discouraged as people they love are drifting from the faith they once shared. It was the mid 60s AD, as in only a few decades […]
What to Do With Christmas Trees, Halloween, Meat Offered to Idols, and New Year’s Celebrations
We recently held a Lunar New Year party after one of our worship services on a Saturday night. The Lunar New Year is a big deal in Asian cultures and our context is highly Asian — which I love. Someone sent a message that we should not celebrate Lunar New Year because the celebration’s origins […]
Deteriorating Mental Health, Elijah, and 7 Reminders for Us
I asked our church recently how many have struggled with anxiety or depression in the last year and hands shot up throughout our gathering space. No one was surprised, of course, because we have seen reports and news stories about mental health deteriorating in our society. The hands raised throughout the room reminded those of […]
5 Major Concerns About the State of the Bible in the U.S.
The American Bible Society released a very robust report on their findings from a large research project on the “state of the Bible.” There are some very encouraging trends related to Bible engagement among Americans and the major impact Bible engagement has upon us. According to research, reading the Bible increases our joy, our outlook […]
6 Reasons to Rejoice over Recent Research on Bible Engagement
The American Bible Society recently released a very robust report on their findings from a large research project on the “state of the Bible.” Over 3300 adults were surveyed and the findings are presented in a 200-page e-book. You can download here. The research reveals some troubling and concerning trends, which I will share in […]
A Greek Class that Left Me in Awe of God as Father
J. I. Packer wrote that the heart of the New Testament is the glorious news that God has adopted us as children through Christ. He stated: “You sum up the whole of New Testament religion if you describe it as the knowledge of God as one’s Holy Father. If you want to judge how well […]
2 Things We Must Do Because the Bible Calls us Sheep
Our dog Roscoe sometimes wanders away from home, but thankfully he is smart enough to come back home or even smarter to go to Brian and Marianna’s home – friends of ours who live on the next street. Roscoe likely prefers their home to ours because when they watch him for sometimes, they feed him […]
Crawfish Boils and the Shared Experience of Suffering
Like all pastors, every week I stand in front of a room filled with people who are suffering. Not every person in the room is suffering, but there is suffering in every room. Life batters and bruises. There is grief from death, pain from betrayal, uncertainty about one’s future, and sorrow from a doctor’s prognosis. […]
Lessons From an Epic Treasure Hunt That Ended in 2020
This book, Chasing the Thrill, tells the story of an amazing treasure hunt that ended last year, in 2020. Ten years earlier an art dealer named Forrest Fenn hid a treasure in the Rocky Mountains and placed a map and a poem in a book he wrote and self-published. The poem and map contained clues […]
3 Ways Christians Should Live in a Politically Divisive Time
For many people, this has been a really challenging and politically divisive time. If it has not been for you, it is likely you only spend time with people who think just like you which isn’t good for you. The good news is that we are not the only Christians to live in a politically […]