Is it just me or is anyone else finding that it more difficult with each email, text message, phone call or letter to distinguish between what’s real and what is a scam? Today, we need to be constantly on our guard. The same thing is true in the Church with folks who take the Gospel of Jesus Christ and distort it. In this part of Paul’s letter to Timothy, we are reminded of the heart of the Gospel: Jesus Christ came to die f
Paul’s letters to his young protege, Timothy, contain some very difficult content to comprehend. Many faithful Christians have disagreed on the meaning of some of the verses. Indeed, some Christians have even misused verses out of context to support sexism, racism, and even slavery. Regardless, 1 Timothy contains words of spiritual wisdom that Paul hoped to impart to his young protege who needed to confront false teaching that was&nbs
Psalm 139 is one of my favorites of David’s psalms. In it, David acknowledges God’s omnipresence, omniscience, and creativity from the earliest moments of human conception. We may think, of all the billions of people in the world, how can God know us so intimately? That is thinking with our limited human understanding and not with the limitless mind of God. I hope that as you reflect on the words of Psalm 139 for yourself
Psalm 112 encourages us to fear the Lord. Today we dive into what that means and what characteristics the psalmist lays out for one who fears the Lord. I believe it's about having a healthy respect for God and God’s ways. That as we live into those ways, it goes well with us, with God, with others, and with all of creation.
One of the things I love about where we live are the beautiful mountains. Looking up at them reminds me of all our powerful God and that he can handle whatever concerns me at the moment. Looking down from them reminds me of the journey I’ve taken in life and how God has been with me at every step along the way. Both views offer a perspective that is unique and may not be experienced if we lived in flat terrain area.
Psalm 103 is all a
Sometimes I think we get the wrong image of God as an angry judge who throws a gavel at us whenever we do something wrong. Scripture, however, paints a much kinder image of God as a benevolent parent who lovingly holds us accountable, not to punish us, but to restore our relationships with himself, ourselves, others, and all of creation. At the same time, God also expects us to pursue justice and make other people’s problems, our problems. But how? Tha
It doesn't always seem like we fit in as we wrestle with God and wonder why He brought us here, wherever we currently are. But as we learn our identity is to be that of "child of God," one who is "poor in spirit," we accept that the kingdom of heaven is ours. We experience God's presence, His love, and especially His grace. We can say, "God's got this!"
Today we wrapped up our series on Wrestling with God. Over the past three months, we’ve explored how many people in the Bible wrestled with God through their grief, doubt, fear, and uncertainty. We learned about something called the Dark Night of the Soul where our knowing comes from unknowing. Though God often seems hidden in the dark night, we were also encouraged to welcome it when it comes and to embrace the lessons that God aims
I don’t know about you, but it is not easy when God messes up some plans that I have painstakingly invested a lot time, energy, and emotion creating. I think we’ve all experienced that in some way or another during these past two COVID years. But what I’ve learned is that as we wrestle with God’s plans for us and we yield to his will, they always turn out better than I could have ever dreamed or imagined.
