We’re all sojourners, refugees in a foreign land and to some extent, nomads. We cannot stay here on Earth forever, our destination lies beyond to a place we’ve never been before, or can’t remember if we did. We wander through life trying to find our way, hearing music that sounds familiar but we can’t quite place. We’re like […]
Inspiration God wants our devotion even in the little things of life. Tomorrow is Monday morning again. We could wake up depressed at the thought of another working week, or we could wake up thinking about how we might bring glory to God through the way we live, the way we speak, the way we […]
Temptation bait without a hook, choice without consequences, motion without meaning. Each day we are tempted by the choices we’re offered and by the choices we avoid. Remember no decision is still a decision. Each Sunday we pray “Deliver us from temptation…” but do we look for it or expect it to come Monday Morning. […]
Ephesians 1. This book has had a profound impact on my life: Who I understand God to be; all that he has accomplished for me in Christ; how I view myself as a result; what I value and live for; how I view others inside the Church; outside the Church; how the Gospel transforms my […]
3 Things you need to Know Before (and After) You Become a Christian! 1) Life offers a choice. “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You […]
The Great Story of God This is a transcript of the service used on December 24, 2011. It is a closer look at the characters, circumstances and context that combine to make each piece part of the Greater Story of Christmas. No one character had all the pieces of the puzzle at the time, but […]
1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Psalm 107:1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures […]
40 Days of Love, Week 4 “Let LOVE be your Highest Goal!” 1 Corinthians 14:1 Discipleship – When we change the way we think, then it’ll change the way we feel and it will change our behavior. Sometimes we think we can change others, but we can’t. However, we can change ourselves. Look what happens to an […]
40 Days of Love, Week 2 “Let LOVE be your Highest Goal!” 1 Corinthians 14:1 You can’t fully understand how to love other people until first you understand how much God loves you. You cannot offer to other people what you don’t possess yourself. You can’t be gracious to others if you haven’t felt God’s grace. You […]
40 Days of Love, Week 1 “Let LOVE be your Highest Goal!” 1 Corinthians 14:1 So often, love is seen as an uncontrollable event, like something you “fall” into or fall out of. But love is a choice, a commitment and the greatest challenge of your life. We need HELP! We need Divine intervention, we need God. The […]
40 Days of Love, Day 1 “Let LOVE be your Highest Goal!” 1 Corinthians 14:1 To love at all is to be venerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even […]
The Methodists must take heed to their doctrine, their experience, their practice, and their discipline. If they attend to their doctrines only, they will make the people antinomians; if to the experimental part of religion only, they will make them enthusiasts; if to the practical part only, they will make them Pharisees; and if they […]
Imagine a young couple going to a 5-star restaurant. It is a restaurant without Styrofoam hamburger shells, chicken nuggets or soda fountains. This is a five star restaurant, the kind that makes a suit and tie for guys and dresses for ladies seem natural and appropriate. The couple enters and are greeted by maître dee who […]
Imagine the stories that we’ll hear. And all the questions that shall finally have answers. “What were you thinking when you drove the old Ford out on the ice?” “Did you hear that Betty and Dan got back together? But of course you did-you were probably involved in that, weren’t you?” “How come you never […]
Lectio Divina Read Hebrews 4:12-16 Read this passage slowly three times. What phrase lingers in your mind? Which parts do you want to read through quickly as if they aren’t there? Let Jesus read the passage to you? Where does He stop and linger? So much of our lives is spent covering up past mistakes and […]
For the next 30 days I will be taking the Lectio Divina Challenge. Praying through and listening to God through the Scriptures. I hope you will look for updates and begin a dialog about the Scriptures. Luke 8:4-15 (NIV) While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, […]
As part of a course I’m taking at Asbury Seminary, I’ve been engaged in a personal journey through the ancient practice of Lectio Divina or Sacred Reading. Lectio Divina assumes that the scriptures want to speak to us personally, not just teach us, but through God’s voice of compassion and conviction engage us and love […]