Esther 4Esther makes a sudden entrance into the story that bears her name.The king had banished his queen, "never again" to enter his presence (Esther 1:19). That led to a search for her replacement. And Esther's name appears matter-of-factly in chapter 2. Hers is the only name given of all the women who endured the king's twelve-month beauty contest. Once she's selected as the next queen, her name takes a chapter off.But the story begins to brew. We...

 Psalm 124I'm reflecting on when we know it was God and when we think it was us.That is, I want to have the same kind of assurance the psalmist did when he declared, "If it had not been the Lord who was on our side (Psalm 124:1). But, surely, our perceived success isn't the only measure of God's active presence with us. Faithful servants of God fail all the time. Jesus told us to make ourselves last place among all people. That's going to look like failure...

Acts 4:23-31Time and history have consumed the songs the early church sang. And we only have ideas of how the first Christians worshiped. Piecing together New Testament passages helps us understand some of their worship practices. But there are still a few things we know with confidence about those early Christians.For example, they heard the gospel of Jesus on repeat. They experienced power through miracles. And they prayed.Not everyone was a teacher....

 John 8:31-38When I need a discipleship punch, I often go to Dallas Willard. Here's something he said that I'm reflecting on today: Our failure to hear his voice when we want to is due to the fact that we do not in general want to hear it, that we want it only when we think we need it.Jesus went back and forth with people of faith. They were "Abraham's descendants" and, obviously, proud of it (John 8:33). Now, there's nothing wrong with appreciating your...

 Ecclesiastes 4:9-16Jesus' disciples once argued with one another about which of them was the greatest. That was a pretty dumb argument to have considering what Jesus had just taught them. His lesson on suffering, death and resurrection went right over them. Jesus the rabbi went on to teach them how to overcome their desire to be so great.The preacher of Ecclesiastes might've offered a different response. He would've reminded them how the greatest is...

 Proverbs 30:18-33Proverbs 30 is a collection of sayings from a man named Agur. Who don't know who he was. He and his father are only mentioned in Proverbs 30:1. It could be that their names are symbolic. For today's reading, though, let's assume Agur is someone like you and me.He opens the chapter with this:Surely I am too stupid to be human;    I do not have human understanding.I have not learned wisdom,    nor...

 I started a new playlist on my YouTube channel. It's called "Audio Sermons." Can you guess what it is? In case it's not obvious, I started uploading my old sermons I have audio recorded. These were from the days when it wasn't as easy to video record them. Here's the link to the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSJ8R4pRJKZUDq6XRlAHsEwf8kFrZra5eStay blessed...j...

Judges 6:1-10God heard the cry of the Israelites in Egypt (Exodus 3:7). That sparked the exodus, the crossing of the sea and the ultimate entrance into the promised land. When God heard the people, the Lord sent Moses to lead them out of their oppression. Since Moses often spoke on behalf of God to the people, it's appropriate to consider him a prophet.God would hear the cry of the people again. This time, Midian was their oppressor. The "Midianites and the...

"Who do you say that I am?" - Jesus Jesus didn't need marble temples or grand shrines. He had the cross. The cross didn't deny his power. It demonstrated it. Understanding the cross is key to understanding God's language of grace. It's not about living your "best life" - it's about following Jesus, even when the path leads through suffering. Remember: God's grace means you're never too far gone to follow Jesus. Today is always a new day with G...

John 7:25-36Here's my "can anything good come out of Nazareth" story. Once, I attended a spiritual retreat. During the event, there were several free-time slots on our agenda. I used those times to play basketball. Just after one of the games, an older man asked me to come talk to him. He wondered had I played ball in high school and asked what school I attended. Pretty sure that he recognized the name of the school, he verified and asked where I was from.When...

 Psalm 73:21-28The apostle Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8:26). That's because we don't know what we should pray for. And he was probably right. I've prayed for certain things to happen before. When something else, something better came out of the situation, it was obvious I had been praying for the wrong thing. But I was praying. That counts for something because of Spirit's work.  Let me share with you some things...

 It's quite nice to have a thoughtful, meaningful conversation with someone you disagree with. The problem is those kinds of conversations don't always happen. They don't happen nearly enough. As nice as those conversations are, they aren't something a lot of us can pull off. Or care to. I'm convinced it's a sickliness.  If we can't disagree without insulting one another, don't we risk our compassion? Why does someone disagreeing with us upset...

 All the hypeSeptember 13, 2024Psalm 19:1-14Recently, a church included in their worship a Christianized version of a popular song. That's not unusual. I've heard churches do that plenty of times, whether it was a good idea or not. This song, though, made waves because it was unusually loud and rock concert-y.Some of you may already be thinking all new church music sounds that way, doesn't it?Well, not like this.Now, I'm not against new or loud music,...

 So much informationProverbs 15:1-17A daily edition of The Wall Street Journal includes more information than the average person had available to them one hundred years ago. That surprised me when I read or heard that some time ago. Having read the paper, though, I can believe it. It speaks to the bombardment of information into our regular lives.One of the consequences of our information age is the bidirectionality of it. That is, we aren't...

I know there are people all around the world. But I came across a website that emphasized that a little more to me. It's radio.garden. The site allows you to click on a green dot around the globe. Each dot is a radio station transmitting in real time. Initially, I went through a bunch of American stations. I heard a lot of news about last night's presidential debate. Then I started clicking around the world. I heard languages I couldn't understand....

 Back to lifeMatthew 17:14-20You spent the weekend on a spiritual retreat. It was a most revealing time when you experienced the presence of God. Now, you can't help but carry the excitement with you as you drive home. There's a song in your heart and you sing it with a joy you didn't know you could have. But the first thing you see when you get home are the bills you left piled on the kitchen table.They don't bother you at first. And they wouldn't if...

 A changed mindPsalm 73:1-20As a kid, TV sitcoms convinced me there was a devilish, red version of me sitting on one of my shoulders. Sometimes, he made a case that could lure me to do what I knew I shouldn't. Not to worry, though, because the other shoulder carried my angelic counterpart. He wasn't always as fun, but I knew he gave better advice. Of course, I've relied less on TV religion as I've gotten older. I've learned it's the Holy Spirit that guides...

 This was the final sermon in our Summer Sermon Series on the Ten Commandments. I'd never done a series that long before. But I think people were engaged with it.After this sermon, a youth asked me, "So, is it okay to cut the grass?"Ooops. Maybe I should've said more 😂 Stay blessed...j...

 In this togetherHebrews 11:29-12:2Not alone we conquer,Not alone we fall;In each loss or triumphLose or triumph all.Bound by God’s far purposeIn one living whole,Move we on togetherTo the shining goal!That's the final stanza of the hymn Forward Through the Ages. Notice the unity theme. God's church isn't just a grouping of people. She is God's living, loving movement. As a part of God's church, your life victories are yours. But they are ours as...

 Walk talkProverbs 4:10-27We call our life a walk with God. Enoch walked with God (Genesis 5:24). Noah did as well (Genesis 6:9). Micah, the prophet, said part of what is good is to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). Later, the apostle Paul would instruct the church to walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). And to walk in love (Ephesians 5:2). To walk, therefore, is to live. As Christians, we "walk in the same way" as Jesus (1 John 2:6).Walk talk brings...

 The same boatRomans 2:1-11It's helpful to distinguish the difference between judging and making judgement calls. Judging mandates a future only God can control. Judgment calls see current circumstances for what they are.Christians often get accused of being judgmental. To be fair, we've both probably known those kinds of Christians. They're always sure of what's in everyone else's heart. They know what God wants to do to every other person. Of course,...

 Gotcha!Mark 7:1-15We assume the group of religious leaders were hoping to catch Jesus in the wrong. Waiting for a gotcha moment. Well, they didn't have to watch him or his disciples long.Mark tells us they noticed "some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands" (Mark 7:2). That means they hadn't washed their hands before eating. In this context, washing hands had a spiritual meaning, at least to the religious leaders. It was their custom...

This was the Sunday I baptized five children. I love preaching, but I was ready to get this sermon over with In a world where dishonesty seems prevalent, how can Christians stand out as beacons of truth and trustworthiness?And I couldn't help but think of Will Smith's "Tell the truth" clip.  Stay blessed...j...

 What not to learnPsalm 106:1-6Does anyone make it through life not becoming like their parents? There's a word, a mannerism or something you do that reminds you of your parents or grandparents. You laugh every time you notice it. It also reminds your family and friends of the those who raised you. People have told me my entire life that I look, act and sound like my father. Can anyone of us help it?Of course, having a similar laugh or sharing the same...

 A way to rememberDeuteronomy 4:9-14There were times I forgot what my children didn't know. Sometimes it was something related to our family. Other times I'd have to wonder what someone their age would know about certain topics. When that would happen, I did better off asking them. What did they remember? What had I shared with them already?There's an entire world of lessons to teach our young people. So many experiences we want to share with them. But...