Jesus Christ

July 27, 2021 | Leave a Comment

Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you

One of my favorite things to do in ministry is to visit with church members who are getting ready to leave the church.

I’m kidding. It gives me an ulcer.

I remember, years ago in a previous ministry, meeting with a household that was very angry about a series of decisions the church leaders had made. I spent the hour in their living room, explaining the leadership’s actions and prayers leading to the decision, knowing the whole time that it was useless. They’d already made up their mind to leave. [Read more…]

March 11, 2021 | Leave a Comment

My quest for a personal retreat day

The mythologist Joseph Campbell described the quest as the hero’s journey out from the ordinary to a place of adventure with the hope of magical rewards. It sounds fabulous. Until it’s not.

I’m currently on a quest for a personal retreat day. It’s not nearly so heroic as what Capbell described. Magical rewards? No, I just want to find a place where I can spend the day away with Jesus for prayer and journaling. A place without ping pong. Ping pong? [Read more…]

December 2, 2020 | Leave a Comment

Simple hope

Have you ever prayed to God about something for a long time? I mean, I really long time, so long that you started wondering if God was listening? So long that you thought to yourself, “Okay, maybe God’s got something better planned,” but you keep praying anyway? So long that your friends have started giving you that line about how sometimes God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers? (That’s from Garth Brooks, by the way, not the Bible.)

Have you ever keep praying anyway, because what you’re praying for is good: healing or health, or a new job, a mended relationship, or peace with your children? Have you ever kept praying, even though God was silent? Where’s the hope?

The first chapter of the Gospel of Luke tells the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah, who have been praying for a child for a long, long time. “Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord, but they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years” (Luke 1:7-8).

[Read more…]

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