Ah friends! I mean, who else can you turn to in your hour of need? Who do you call when your car decides that the middle of the night would be an excellent time not to start and get you home? Even if it feels like an imposition, you can call a friend. They have… Read More ›

A young lady told me yesterday that she doesn’t know how to pray and she had something very important to pray about. I wonder if I should have showed her Jesus’ prayer. It is not specifically about what she is concerned about, but isn’t it a great place to begin? If Jesus taught his disciples… Read More ›

Can you do ministry and miss Jesus? Well, yeah. Good things are done with no connection to Jesus all the time. Those things are still service. Feeding the hungry is not the end all. Neither is attempting to end oppression. These are good things; right things; necessary things. But, again, many do good things for… Read More ›

Augustine postulated the scenario in which someone had fallen into a pit with no way to get out. He is desperate. If he doesn’t get out, he will eventually die. Suppose two people come along – let’s name them Harry and George. Harry said, “Why George, look at that fellow there in the pit. How… Read More ›

Years ago, I had a friend who would get frustrated at how complicated people seemed to make following Jesus. He would say, “Its really simple: Love God and love people!” Don’t get me wrong, I understand his point. But it isn’t simple to love God. And if we qualify that with “Love the Lord your… Read More ›

You probably don’t know my father like I do. And how could you? You didn’t grow up with him training you; playing; laughing; crying. And now, even if you were able to go sit with my father, you wouldn’t be able to get to know him. He would tell you stories of growing up –… Read More ›

In the book “The Chosen” by Chaim Potok, Danny Saunders is a brilliant young man. Danny’s father is a rabbi of a Russian Hassidic sect in Williamsburg. From a young age, the rabbi, his father didn’t speak to Danny. He never told him why until much later. The rabbi was concerned that his brilliant son… Read More ›

The Kingdom of God is near! Are you picturing the guy standing on a street corner, yelling at people? Sadly, the “Kingdom of God is near” message is often wrapped up in the language of condemnation and wrath. And to be clear, it includes judgment. But that is not the heart of the message. Judgment… Read More ›

The crop is ready. The conditions are favorable. Do you linger at the local café chewing the fat with the townies? Do you go to bed early and sleep in? Do you watch TV all day? I’m not a farmer, but I know this much – harvest time is bustle time. Long hours in the… Read More ›

I am about to make an assumption: I assume that Lot’s wife was not turned into a pillar of salt just because she looked backward. I think the whole of Genesis 19 is about Lot’s family struggling with letting go of their life in Sodom. I mean, for crying out loud, the angels had to… Read More ›