October 20, 2021 “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, ‘Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of...
October 13, 2021 “But you, Lord, are enthroned forever; your fame endures to all generations.” – Psalm 102:12 Psalm 102 begins with a pretty intense introduction: “A prayer of a suffering person who is weak and pours out his lament before the Lord.” And from there it only...
October 6, 2021 “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.” – Colossians 3:23-24 Last night I took three of my...
September 29, 2021 “Be careful that you don’t forget the Lord your God by failing to keep his commands, ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today. When you eat and are full, and build beautiful houses to live in, and your herds and flocks grow large, and...
September 22, 2021 “But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my steps nearly went astray. For I envied the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have an easy time until they die, and their bodies are well fed…When I tried to understand all this, it...
September 15, 2021 “‘Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?’ This is the declaration of the Lord God. ‘Instead, don’t I take pleasure when he turns from his ways and lives?… For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death.’ This is the declaration of the...
September 8, 2021 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and everything in it is mine.” – Psalm 50:12 Yesterday I drove up to Colorado Springs to pick up my grandfather. He was getting discharged from the hospital after having a stroke two...
September 1, 2021 “Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. Above...
August 25, 2021 “A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.” – 1 Corinthians 12:7 This last weekend I participated in an old-fashioned barn raising. I am currently building a shop at my house so that I can have a place to...
August 18, 2021 “In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit,...
August 11, 2021 “I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” – John 17:15-16 Have you ever heard the phrase, “in...
August 4, 2021 “He must increase, but I must decrease. The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth is earthly and speaks in earthly terms. The one who comes from heaven is above all.” – John 3:30-31 To celebrate our...
July 28, 2021 In the Tokyo Olympics this last week we saw one of our greatest American gymnasts leave the competition because of mental health issues. No matter how you feel about her decision, there is no question that this is a sad situation. There has been a lot...
July 14, 2021 “This is what the Lord says: The wise person should not boast in his wisdom; the strong should not boast in his strength; the wealthy should not boast in his wealth. But the one who boasts should boast in this: that he understands and knows me—...
July 7, 2021 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation...
June 30, 2021 “For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things.” – Philippians...
June 23, 2021 “For I will proclaim the Lord’s name. Declare the greatness of our God! The Rock—his work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful God, without bias, he is righteous and true.” – Deuteronomy 32:3-4 Last week we had our Vacation Bible School at...
June 16, 2021 “A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive, but the mouth of fools blurts out foolishness.” – Proverbs 15:1-2 Those in the world often criticize the Church for the way we seemingly...
June 9, 2021 “He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life.’ Then...
May 26, 2021 “Patience is better than power, and controlling one’s emotions, than capturing a city.” – Proverbs 16:32 Has your desire to be right or your insistence on winning an argument ever cost you a relationship? Dumb question, right? If we were to recount the relationships in...
May 19, 2021 “Does an ax exalt itself above the one who chops with it? Does a saw magnify itself above the one who saws with it? It would be like a rod waving the ones who lifts it! It would be like a staff lifting the one who...
April 28, 2021 “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’” – Luke 18:13 God loves you… This phrase has probably become cliché in most Christian circles. We may...
April 21, 2021 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:7 It is comforting when someone cares about you. Some of the sweetest moments I have experienced are when I’ve been hurt or sick and I see my children wanting to care for...
April 14, 2021 “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” – Psalm 139:23-24 Classic cars are both therapy and ministry for me. They are therapy because, as a pastor,...
April 7, 2021 “One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound wisdom.” – Proverbs 18:1 I am a claustrophobic extrovert. If you put me in a confined space all by myself for very long I will go insane! So, you can imagine how hard the quarantine...
March 31, 2021 “Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are...
March 24, 2021 “Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?… No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained...
March 16, 2021 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 My wife and I have been married 23 years this summer. There is no way I could ever...
March 10, 2021 “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as...
March 3, 2021 “And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ.” – Ephesians 4:11-12 This past Sunday we baptized 11 people at our church. They ranged...