Sing to Remember
I watched him as he walked around the nursing home mumbling, not knowing fully who he was nor where he was. We opened a hymnal and started to sing, he stopped what he was doing and came, standing nearby, to join the hymn without missing a word. He remembered! Israel had a hymnbook; it
Whoever Believes in Him
The words “believe in Jesus” is far more than mental assent. Believe is a bigger word in Greek than it is in English; let’s explore it. It means, “Whoever trusts his whole being on Him will have eternal life.” It means, “Whoever adheres to Him and becomes one in solidarity with Him will have
Born from Above
We are born from above to be like God: we are to born from an old self to a new self. This transformation is to give us a whole new attitude of the mind; the focus of the mind has a new center. God is righteous in all of His actions; that is what
Implications of Incarnation
The fact that God became flesh in Jesus of Nazareth shapes all of Christian belief and practice. God embodied Himself in physicality, a human body, God in human flesh. The incarnation does away with the idea that a human body equals sinfulness. It destroys ancient arguments that the physical was bad but the spiritual
Out of Nazareth
Someone good did finally come out of Nazareth. Contrary to public opinion, the promised Messiah showed up there. Our prejudice keeps us from seeing God in places where He is very present. We think He cannot be present and working with some people, when in fact, He is. He is not only present with
Creative Breath
According to Genesis, humans were created by the breath of God. This puts John 20: 21-22 in perspective. “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them ‘Receive the
Coercion or Persuasion
The gospel of Jesus Christ advances by witness and persuasion. False religion seeks to advance itself by deception or coercion. The sword cannot truly convert. A forced conversion is not a conversion of the heart; this is counter to the nature of God who is love. Because He wants our hearts, He wants us
The Object of Temptation
The Father affirmed the Son at His baptism. “Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased’" (Mark 1:10-11 NASB). After the baptism the
Jesus Prays for You
“Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34 ESV). Know this, He is praying about you before you do. Think about it. Nothing shows that God is for you in all of your trials more
Chosen People
We refer to the Jews “as God’s chosen people”. We misunderstand what that means. It does not mean that they are chosen because they are better than any other people or ethnic group. They were chosen as a light of monotheism for all the nations. “He says: ‘It is too light a thing that
Power of Trials
Trials can have a way of consuming us. They can eclipse the light and leave us in a dark place. Their noise can keep us from hearing heaven’s music. It is easy in these times to let the “feeling” of the test become emotionally central. Trusting God can see us through. Know that in
Deeper Beauty
Some worship and admire their own faces and bodily appearance; these have succumbed to the cult of beauty. This cult values a few people above the rest. The self-centered who always look at the reflection of their own mirror always become corrupted by the look. The sex-culture is married to the cult of beauty.
High and Near
Theologically we seek to balance the immanence and transcendence of God; that is, how He is “high and lifted up” and “near as our breath”? How can we see what cannot be seen? Yet, He makes Himself visible in His Son who is Word and Wisdom incarnate. He Who is Holy, Who is Love,
Experience God
Experiences can often change us in profound ways. A trip to the Holy Land! A near-death experience! A tragedy! A loss! A divorce! A windfall! These, and other significant events may uproot us and replant us. Persons who have traveled into space and looked back to see the earth and the 360 degrees of
Fight Against
You may tell what a person is by what they fight. The scripture is clear that our fight is never to be against other people, not even enemies. Our resistance against evil is not so we can define ourselves more righteous than others, but so that evil will not make inroads into our own
Christians and Mysticism
To be a Christian, I believe, is to be a mystic. Christians are mystics in a couple of ways. One, we believe that we as humans, in this earthly realm, can encounter God in the heavenly realm. We believe that He has come near to us to reveal Himself to us by His Son.
Search Me
Split-second decisions are both choices and an expression of who we are; I don’t like to say or believe that, but I think that I have found it is true. We want to say, “that was not me”, but maybe it was. Maybe it was the part of you that you have not met;
Call it Temptation
The Tempter does not want you to know that it is temptation; he even wants his presence not to be detected in the process. It is too easy to just go with the flow, even when it is bad; it is easy to yield in unthinking ways. We think of temptation in terms of
Nearer Than You Think
All the energy that flows through and sustains the universe has reached even you. The One by Whom all things exists, consist, and are maintained is very near you. He who holds all things together, holds you together (Colossians 1:17). The God who fills all things has come to fill you. He who loves
Belief Should Transform
When our theology is not transformative, we are just playing with academics. We may stroke our own ego with what we know, and may even feel superior to those who know less, but if what we have learned has not humbled us at the foot of the cross of the crucified God, then it
Full Plate
We may all be sitting at the same table but eating out of different plates. With what life deals us, we do not all have our plate filled with the same things. We carry our own burdens and may hide our secret pain. Be careful what you say and be careful how you respond,
Joining Belief and Practice
It is easy to reduce Christianity to believing the right things in order to get to the Father’s house. Jesus’ teachings tell us how to live in the world now; these teachings join belief and practice. We follow the One who is Lord through paths in the middle of our daily struggles. To follow
Be Ready
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone...For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will” (Matt 24:36, 44). No one knows the time
Not Knowing
“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him” John 1:10 (NASB). The purpose of His coming was to be made known. The failure to know does not rest with Him but with us. Our preconceived ideas about Him, our inattention and self-focus hinder
Children of God
“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” John 1:11-12 (NASB). As we receive the Son, we are received as the children