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 ›

Ahaziah fell out of his upper chamber in his palace in the city of Samaria. And then he got sick. He wanted to know if he was going to die, so he sent some messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron. Well, Yahweh didn’t like this very much and he sent Elijah to… Read More ›

If I say something like, “I believe that Mother Teresa did a lot of good for the cause of Christ,” are you tempted to respond with a “Maybe, but . . .”? Here’s the thing, I really don’t know much about Mother Teresa other than the fact that she had a heart to minister to… Read More ›