You shall be called… the restorer of paths to live in. – Isaiah 58:12
People have sought a relationship with God using three basic approaches since the beginning of time. Many today are caught in the same trap and if we are not careful, we will miss Him completely.
The search for God, more often than not, employs our natural abilities and proclivities. Our methods often say more about us than they do about God. Continue reading “In Search of God”
How did Passover become Easter? What’s with the Bunny and the Eggs? Is the day we celebrate really about Jesus’ Resurrection or something else entirely?
It is with great fear and trepidation that I begin this article as I am keenly aware of the strong emotional feelings on each side. I am reminded of the Biblical exhortation, “continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil 2:12) My goal, therefore, will be to present a quick survey of the facts and leave the “working out” to each of you. I will love you regardless of your decision. 🙂 Continue reading “Easter Wars – Part 2”
What could be more cute than little girls and boys, dressed in their new spring clothes, gleefully hunting colored eggs? What could be more fun than those same girls and boys giggling joyfully at the site of an Easter Basket stuffed full of goodies on Easter morning? What could be more innocent than a day full of hope and warm feelings – and perhaps a special church service? Believe it or not, the day is far more controversial than you might imagine.
While the Resurrection of Jesus has apparently been celebrated since the very early days of Christianity, the form of celebration has taken some surprising turns along the way. Initially, the celebration was folded into the Jewish Passover. This seemed appropriate since Jesus had celebrated His last Passover supper with his disciples and had Himself fulfilled the promise of the Passover Lamb. Continue reading “Easter Wars – Part 1”
It is often said that without the Apostle Paul, much of the doctrine of the Church would be absent. This executioner of Christians, turned faithful witness of Jesus, wrote most of the New Testament and is known for his seemingly fearless and bold witness that took him around the known world to plant churches when the Church was in it’s infancy. Yet, despite the courageous portrait of this great man of faith, we know that Paul faced fear just like the rest of us.
I am almost certain that many will consider the above statement to be provocative and some will take exception. After all, Paul faced imprisonment, torture, and death on many occasions. How could someone go through all of that and still be such a powerful witness if he struggled with fear?
Just in case we ever forget – which I’m sure we do not – the election cycle is certain to remind us of the power of ridicule. Every year the name calling and rhetorical slander gets worse and worse.
What astounds me, is how often two politicians can go head-to-head with each other, throwing some of the most abusive verbal mud-balls imaginable, and then end up supporting each other, or even running together, a few months later. It’s like a really bad version of Jerry Springer marries Oprah. With all the attention on bullying these days, you would think that these middle-aged and older “leaders” would grow-up.
Jesus said that the earth would see a time when men’s hearts would fail them for fear. (Luke 21:26) Although I do not believe we have quite arrived at the time Jesus spoke of, it does appear that anxiety is on the rise. Whether it be politics, terrorism, our children’s safety, marriage, finances or any number of other stress factors – let’s face it – life is tough.
Despite all that we see around us, Jesus said that we shouldn’t let our heart be troubled (John 14:1). If we are honest, however, that is often a lot easier said than done. The good news is that God has already provided our escape from worry in His Word. Here are a few:
Today concludes our series “Our Greatest Desire – Fulfilled!” as we look at God’s biblical keys to lasting love. You can review the first three blogs here:
Our Greatest Desire – Fulfilled! Part 1
Our Greatest Desire – Fulfilled! Part 2
Our Greatest Desire – Fulfilled! Part 3
Here are the final four biblical keys.
We have been discussing God’s concept of lasting love that models Christ’s love for His people. So far we covered five biblical keys to lasting love. You can review those blogs here:
Our Greatest Desire – Fulfilled! Part 1
Our Greatest Desire – Fulfilled! Part 2
Today we will discuss the next three biblical keys.
In our last blog, we discussed God’s concept of love that transcends the human experience into the spiritual realm. A lasting love that models Christ’s love for His people (the Church) and shows the world what love really is. We covered the first two biblical keys to lasting love. You can review that blog here:
Our Greatest Desire – Fulfilled! Part 1
Today we will discuss the next three biblical keys.
It is the height of irony that the greatest preacher in our modern society is such as miserable failure at the one thing most people desire above all else.
From the silver screen to the mobile device, the entertainment industry churns out movies, specials, video games and documentaries touting their adept understanding on the most precious and mysterious emotion of all – love. People willingly trade their hard-earned disposable income for a few minutes of fantasy about relationships that often far exceeds their own hum-drum existence. Often these same people return home more disillusioned than ever and are reminded that their own love-life falls woefully short of the on-screen thrills.