The explicit claims Jesus made about His authority, Him as Messiah, and His God-ness, ultimately did him in. It was not His expansive love shown for every person he encountered. Now, this is not an ex...  Read More

The Jewish leaders disliked, and eventually grew to hate, Jesus for many reasons. They were angry with him for upsetting their traditions and the law. They looked down on him for eating with sinners a...  Read More

“They came to where a large crowd had gathered to wait for Jesus. A man came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, please show your tender mercy toward my son. He has a demon who afflicts him. He has ...  Read More

Martin Luther said that religion is the default mode of the human heart. He knew that we are constantly tempted to rely on what we do for God, instead of relying what he has done for us in Christ.  Th...  Read More

The church has adopted a 40 day observance. Some call it Lent and some call it 40 Days of Purpose. The heart of Lent is a season of fasting, which Jesus obviously expected for his followers to do. He ...  Read More

How do we respond when the world shows us something? We can reject them as inappropriate and unhelpful. We can receive them as good and helpful. Or we can “redeem” them by changing what is bad and ref...  Read More

As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.Psalm 42:1Loving other people is the second greatest commandment. Changing our thinking and our ways we put others’ needs ahead of...  Read More

Examine me, O Lord, and try me;Test my mind and my heart.Psalm 26:2Fasting, whether it is all food or just certain things, should cause us to look within ourselves. Look within to what motivates us to...  Read More

The Apostle Paul proclaims that “the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”Living in a world where the media continually reminds us about violence, con...  Read More

Acts of personal sacrifice and spiritual development are woven through scripture.  Scripture also encourages us to help those in need. The Old Testament is filled with statements to care for widows, o...  Read More

Just as we set aside time to spiritually prepare for Christmas Day, it makes sense to set aside time to prepare for the two most important days of the Christian year - Good Friday and Easter. Lent is ...  Read More

Many Scriptures remind us that physical sacrifices are only valuable if they’re given with your whole heart. The prophet Samuel told King Saul, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” And David wrote, “Yo...  Read More