“An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign.” (Matt. 12:39a) In the Old Testament the hallmark of the supernatural was signs and wonders, but in the New Testament the hallmark of the supernatural is a Holy Spirit-filled life. Since the creation of humanity it’s clear that God’s desire has always been for intimacy with …
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Even You.
Isn’t it interesting how even a good thing, when lacking its balance, can become a bad thing. A piece of chocolate cake can make a happy statement after a satisfying meal, but eating the entire cake in place of the meal can make us feel like we’re dying. I suppose that’s what they meant when …
Description vs Prescription
Much of our Biblical confusion comes from a lack of contextual understanding. As a result, we can find ourselves confusing God’s descriptive voice as prescription. Description provides an account of the way a thing is, while prescription provides an account of the way a thing should be. “Then He (Jesus) began to denounce the …
How to Thrive in the Storm
“The righteous will thrive in uncertain times.” – unknown We were in prayer last Sunday and this line kept coming back to me. In Jeremiah 33:3, God says, “Call unto Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.” I’ll never forget the conviction with …
How to Weather the Storm
The year 2020 has been marked by unprecedented changes and uncharted waters that few could have anticipated. Global pandemic, social injustice and economic uncertainty have had an impact across the planet, and we will likely be feeling the ripples for the foreseeable future. And beyond these global and local concerns, life goes on presenting …
Proper Fasting
Nearly dead-center in the middle of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, we pick up an interesting motif. “When you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, …
The Danger of Easy Answers
A lot of our axioms and canned answers are really quite awful. Someone loses their job, and we say “God has a plan.” Someone loses their house, and we say “God moves in mysterious ways.” Someone loses their family, and we say “God is in control”. Perhaps we aren’t all to blame. Perhaps we’re …
Blessings in Unexpected and Confusing Times (Part 2)
5. “Blessed (fortunate, prosperous) are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” This immediately reminds me of two other sayings of Jesus. The first is when He’s diving the “sheep” from the “goats”, and both groups ask ‘when did we… see you hungry, sick, in prison, etc…?’ and Jesus responds that when they did it …
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Blessings in Unexpected and Confusing Times
So I’ve been doing a chronological study through the Gospels over the past year, and have finally gotten all the way up to the famed “Sermon on the Mount”. This iconic speech is the longest of Jesus’ recorded sermons in the gospel accounts, and will no doubt provide me with plenty of study and reflection …
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Jesus HAD to pass through Samaria
When we read the book of John we are privileged to get a “look behind the curtain” (to borrow imagery from the Wizard of Oz). While each of the synoptic gospels provide a useful synopsis of some of the significant events of Jesus’ missionary journeys, John presents in what I like to call a theological …
Just for a Closer Walk 