Sunday, we looked at the passage in John 15 where Jesus promises the Holy Spirit. He says that He will send another helper to be with us forever (v16.) In verse 26 of the same chapter, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things. We greatly need a comforter, a helper, and…
As the church – the body of Christ, we carry within us the only solution to the despair, and hopelessness clouding the hearts and minds of too many in our contradictory and confused culture. Bill Hybels was quoted as saying that the church is the hope of the world. We know that our hope is…
The week after Christmas and before all of the New Year celebrations is usually a time of reflection and planning. As I sit at my desk preparing to finish this year and plan for the next, I wanted to share with you some resolutions to consider to help us grow spiritually in the new year.…
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 The past can be a funny thing. Some look back to a time when they were happier, healthier, less stressed… in other words, those glory days. The problem with those…
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some… Hebrews 10:24-25a In Luke 4:16, it says that Jesus – as was His custom, (or as usual) entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And I believe that it should…
“I’ve got this.” It’s a phrase used often in one form or another. We say it to ourselves; we say it to others. And, most times, we have got whatever “this” happens to be. Every once in a while, though, we encounter something we cannot handle, something we haven’t “got.” Of course, that doesn’t always diminish our willingness to make our “got…
Once we’ve decided to do something, we often like to “go big.” We think to ourselves: if we’re going to do this thing, let’s really do it. Great things can result, of course. But the mentality can backfire, too—for example, when we set our ambitions too high, get overwhelmed, and can’t follow through. Jesus however, suggests an opposite approach. To start small…
Have you ever struggled with your Bible reading? If we’re being honest, I believe that we all have. For me, a 62-year old man/boy with ADD, distractions abound. So many things seem more urgent and alluring—things like email, text messages, social media, the latest news, to-do lists, the latest Netflix series, Grand-children, the Braves, Atlanta…
When I was a kid I developed a love of reading. I was into the Doc Savage series, sci-fi, fantasy, and then read many books by Alistair MacLean, Tolkien, and others. Of course in high school there was a lot of required readings – especially the classics, that kept my nose buried. But as I…
For the grace of God has appeared… Titus 2:11-12 For us to truly, in our hearts, want to repent of our sins, repent of our screw-ups—for us to truly want to turn our backs on our old selves, on the self-indulgent people we’ve been—we’ve got to first trust that we can change, that we can…