Early in my ministry, a pastoral change left me without a job. Over the next seven months, I interviewed for several positions. I was very young in my understanding of how God works in our lives. I assumed He would simply open the door to the job He wanted me to have and close all […]
The Heart of God – Missions
God gives us children to teach us lessons we might completely overlook if not for their innocent questions. One evening, I came home from work and sat in my chair reading. Brianne was on the floor in front of me, playing with some toys. A non-profit Christian organization’s TV ad came on, and I saw […]
What is Love?
“What is love?” This is a question we all ask at some point in our life. Many people live their entire lives with a wrong understanding of what love is. When I conducted marriage preparation sessions with young, engaged couples, one of the first questions I would ask was, “Why do you want to get […]
Shema – Theological Proposition or Call to Commitment?
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God; the Lord is One” (Dt 6:4). Every serious Jew recites this daily as a prayer of commitment to God. In Mark 12:29, Jesus quotes this verse in response to the question, “Which is the most important commandment?” This represents a significant criticism that Jews and Muslims have toward […]
Confession
We often think that confession is merely saying, “I’m sorry.” But God is very wise. He says we must confess to each other. What he knows is that confession breaks down the walls of rationalization we have built around our sins. When we sin, there are only two options: (1) rationalize it so we can […]
Betrayal
Betrayal is a common life experience. Even Jesus was betrayed by a close friend. But when it happens to you, it challenges your faith and causes you to doubt others, and can even cause you to doubt God’s goodness to you. When a friend betrays us, we can’t imagine other friends remaining loyal. Our trust […]