Sadly, Christianity in the U.S. has a pretty poor reputation and might be typified as rather “soft.” We have earned that reputation and reinforce it routinely as we sit on soft chairs in our air-conditioned auditoriums, sipping good coffee and...

I have zero musical talent and offer two personal stories as proof. As my 8th grade year drew to a close, our Catholic school did a special mass presentation. As the nun began our preparation, she was passing out the song books and paused in front...

As you read this musing, I will most likely be touring around England (hopefully on the correct side of the road). I do enjoy reading things from English history and so I paid particular attention to an interesting section I recently found in John...

Last week was Easter. It is the high point on the Christian calendar. On Friday our attention was on the sacrificial death of Christ. The cross and our Savior’s crucifixion represent the payment that was paid in full for our sin debt. Mercy was...

John wrote to the church at Laodicea and gave them the injunction, “…so be zealous and repent.” That word “zealous” is a pretty old-fashioned term. Today we might substitute in the word “fanatical.” But in our culture, being a fanatic isn’t...

There is a cool story about a little boy who wanted to meet God. Apparently, he knew that God lived a long way away, so he packed his suitcase with cookies and some root beer and took off. After three blocks or so, he met an old lady in the park....

Somewhere towards the end of his life, David inserted Psalm 61 into his “song book.”  In addition to the words, he included some notes for the director and gave some direction to the stringed instruments. But the part that caught my eye was...

All around us marriages are dissolving, friendships are falling apart, businesses are closing and ministries are ending. There are all kinds of reasons for such a society-wide moment of dysfunction. But I might suggest that at the core of it all,...

Years ago, I read about a child who was disfigured. He had a huge red mark splattered across his face. But he wasn’t challenged by it at all.  In fact, he wore it as a badge of honor. You see, when he was a young boy, his father started...

When emergency personnel want to quickly evaluate the mental condition of someone struggling, they do a quick assessment called “Oriented Times Three.”  They ask the person a series of easy questions. They want to know if the man or woman in...

Every day when you and I head out the door of our room, apartment or house we take with us whatever we think we will need for the day. We might carry things in a purse, a briefcase, a satchel or maybe just our pockets. But for sure, we “pack for...

I just finished teaching a series on the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6/Luke 11). My last lesson featured the words of the doxology that finishes off that section of scripture: “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever more. Amen”...