Tag: The Gospel

The Way to Life

Leave a comment

In Psalm 139, David celebrates the detailed and intimate knowledge God has of him; that He has of all of us. In the second part of the psalm, he continues to celebrate that knowledge with some of the most important pro-life themes in the Scriptures. But then he makes a turn to expressing his passion for God in a way that is deeply uncomfortable for modern readers. What are we supposed to do with all of this? That’s what we are talking about today as we wrap up our series, Fully Known. Read on to find out.

The Way to Life

Little kids can get excited. Like, really excited. If you have little ones at home or still remember when yours were little, you perhaps know what I’m talking about. Little kids can get so excited they can’t hold it in, and they’ll start to do silly things to let it out. They’ll run in place, run all over the place, yell and scream, just kind of vibrate where they are standing, and so on and so forth. It can be pretty entertaining to watch. The nice thing about little kids and their excitement, though, is that they don’t tend to get destructive with it. Older kids and adults, on the other hand, can’t say that quite as consistently. 

Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Mark 16:5-8

Leave a comment

“When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side; they were alarmed. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he told them. ‘You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they put him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there just as he told you.”’ They went out and ran from the tomb,  because trembling and astonishment overwhelmed them. And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Most streaming services aim to have at least one series that defines them. Hopefully they manage to land more than one, but they want—they need—to have something that proves to be enough of a cultural phenomenon that subscribers will sign up for the service just to be able to watch that. For Netflix, that series is indisputably Stranger Things. After much hype and anticipation, the final season is out in total, I’ve finished watching it, and we’re going to talk about it.

Read the rest…

Christmas Eve 2025

Leave a comment

Today’s the day! For weeks we have been waiting and preparing for this day to arrive. It’s Christmas Eve! In just a few more hours we will all close our eyes and open them on the day of our Savior’s birth. Each year at my church we gather together on this special evening in order to celebrate the reason for the season as a body. We don’t make it long or terribly fancy. But it is memorable and meaningful. This year I’m involving the kids in the message in a way I haven’t before. They’ll be right up on stage with me, and I’ll share some fun things about the Christmas story with them while the adults get to listen in. Hopefully it’s going to be a good time. With this in mind, for today’s post (the last, with the exception of next Monday, until after the New Year) I thought that I would give you a sneak peek at what I will be sharing with them. May today be a day of joyfulness and rejoicing for you. Merry Christmas!

Read the rest…

Advent Reflections: John 1:14

Leave a comment

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The theological word for Jesus’ coming to earth is incarnation. That’s from the Latin word for flesh which is the direct source of our word carnal. The idea is that God didn’t just put on a costume in Jesus. He became fully human and lived right here on earth as one of us. While Luke and Matthew tell the story of His arrival, John tells us the truth of who He actually was and what His coming meant. Let’s talk about this glorious truth today with John’s help.

Read the rest…

Advent Reflections: Luke 15:7, 10

Leave a comment

“I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance. . . .I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Kids have a built-in desire to do what makes their fathers happy. There was a time when I was growing up that I said I wanted to be a lawyer. Why? Because my dad is an excellent lawyer, and I wanted to be like him, to make him happy. I soon thereafter realized I was built to be a teacher, and thankfully he gave me the extremely significant gift of supporting me in whatever I pursued, so all was well. But that desire to please him never really went away. I suspect that if you have a healthy relationship with your dad, you’re the same way. Well, God is consistently described in the Scriptures as our heavenly Father. Let’s talk about something that makes Him happy.

Read the rest…