Believers’ Commonality

As I have been recently teaching through the book of Ephesians, I have noticed how important the subject of unity is to the apostle Paul. In point of fact, the entire focus of this epistle is Paul’s deep desire that the Jews and Gentiles be united as they lived out...

The Example of Redwood Trees

I love trees. It is one of the reasons I love to travel so much. There are trees everywhere…tall trees, leafy trees, huge shade trees, and trees that can hold big tire swings! So last summer, I took a trip up the heart of our state to visit some redwood trees. I found...

Forced to Grow

Stacy Creech, a missionary in Senegal wrote about “Goats and Goodbyes” in a recent  Ethnos360 newsletter. Apparently, there was a move in her future and it was causing some anxiety in her heart. Change can do that. She wrote, “I was standing in our bedroom,...

The Challenge for American Christians

Earlier this month, Christianity Today reported on the “Top 50 Countries Where it is Hardest to be a Christian.” Apparently, martyrdoms are dropping in number in Nigeria but soaring in Burkina Faso. North Korea tops the list, with Afghanistan and Somalia right behind...

Don’t Let Grass Grow on Your Path

I read a story this week that reflected on some early missionary efforts in the Africa bush. Apparently, some of the young converts were very earnest and regular in their personal devotional life. “Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would...

Keep Watch Over Yourself

In Acts chapter 20, Luke records for us some words of farewell that Paul gave to the elders of the church in Ephesus. In a whole list of things, he urged them to remember, he remarks in verse 28, “Keep watch over yourselves and the flock of which the Holy Spirit has...