And That Is What She Did!

Queen Elizabeth’s funeral is tomorrow. I can’t think of anything in my life that compares to what we’ve witnessed in the week and a half since her passing. (But then again, I can think of anyone who served in a position for 70 years). The only thing that I thought might come close was inContinue reading “And That Is What She Did!”

This Is Love!

The Gnostic influencers John was opposing in 1 John were not known for their love. They were spiritual elitists. Anyone who was “in the know” as they were was okay, but everyone else was looked down upon in contempt. They were like some of the religious officials of Jesus’ day “who were confident of theirContinue reading “This Is Love!”

What Are You Doing?

Why is it whenever someone starts to talk about keeping God’s commands, people get uneasier than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockers? Why when John pointedly tells us, “His commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:13), do so many people act like they are? Well, what are you doing? 1 John Home

The Joy of Obedience

1 John is a brief but marvelously rich letter. But when you first get into it, there’s a good possibility it will overwhelm you with its repetition of a cluster of words. In its 105 verses, “know” is used 32 x’s, “love” is used 27 x’s, “sin” is used 20 x’s, “life” and “brother” areContinue reading “The Joy of Obedience”

The Spreading Flame

Fire pits are enjoying quite a bit of popularity these days. They seem to be everywhere.  Aside from the aesthetics of a fire (which to me are substantial), there are also few things that are physically more pleasing than the warm comfort it provides when we are cold. Our Father created our bodies in such a way thatContinue reading “The Spreading Flame”

Living in the Light

John assures the disciples he is writing in 1:1-4 of his first letter that the message they had shared with them about Christ was rooted in historical reality. There were Gnostic influencers who were spreading the heresy that Christ had not come in the flesh (see this in 2 John v. 7). John wants themContinue reading “Living in the Light”

For the Bible Tells Me So

Back when peoplewrote letters, they did so for lots of reasons. They wanted to stay in contact with a loved one from whom they were separated (this was especially true in the days before there were phones and later when people had phones but long-distance calls were expensive). They also wrote to share news (thisContinue reading “For the Bible Tells Me So”

A Teenage Girl Sings Of God

It’s good to be thankful and give praise to God. It’s even better to live a life of gratitude that seeks to honor God. Gratitude and praise are a lifestyle, not an occasional moment or even a seasonal celebration. We treat them that way when we live with a sense of priority and urgency inContinue reading “A Teenage Girl Sings Of God”

Clutter, clutter everywhere . . .

If you dump a box of toys in front of a toddler, many of them will just give you a quizzical look. But if you give them just a toy or two they are able to focus on it, engage their imagination, and in no time they’re having a great time. That’s because sometimes less isContinue reading “Clutter, clutter everywhere . . .”

Getting Started in Proverbs

Our church went through the book of Proverbs this summer. I put together an acrostic as kind of a review, but I think it works equally well as an introduction to the book—if you don’t take it as any sort of final word but use it as a starting point for stepping into this wonderfulContinue reading “Getting Started in Proverbs”