Prayer and Men of Prayer

September 22, 2019
How are we supposed to do church? How are we supposed to be church? Those are good questions, even though we are nearly two thousand years into this. We have…

Examples of Patience

September 15, 2019
          Being a follower of Jesus Christ can be demanding. We feel worn out just living for ourselves! To live for others can feel even more exhausting, before we even…

Want Jesus Most

September 8, 2019
Well, our translation says unless we love Jesus more (14:26). You may remember that Jesus says hate: unless you hate your parents, spouse, children, and life itself, you can’t be…

Reflections on Humility

September 1, 2019
Jesus reminds us to be humble, to seek humility, to learn it and grow in it. We praise beauty; we praise excellence; we praise performance. Humility is more worthy of…

A Time for Healing

August 25, 2019
So, eighteen years is a long time, bent over, suffering, for eighteen years. Then there’s Jesus. Maybe she always went to synagogue on Sabbath. Maybe she was there that Sabbath…

Can We Just Skip That Part?

August 18, 2019
Fire? Division, not peace? Hypocrites? Why does Jesus have to say such things? I mean, I suppose I could just skip all those things he says like what we just…
I pastored a church in Illinois, right out of seminary. A fellow pastor in that presbytery served two congregations. Those of you who remember Rev. Swinney remember that sort of…

Christ Is Our Real Life

August 4, 2019
A number of people, including some who ought to know better, seem to behave as if this life was all that mattered. Jesus tells us of a world to come.…

A Way That Seems Right

July 28, 2019
Christians have a talent for reshaping the Gospel.  Paul warns against this.  The reshaping is always the result of good intentions.  Christians worry about the growth of the Church, which…

The Gravity of Grace

July 21, 2019
Millions want to know God.  Knowing God isn’t easy.  There is so much around us and within to distract us, deflect us.  That desire is still there, though.  What is…