A Roman Cross and a Jewish Carpenter (1)

We’re accustomed to thinking about the gospel in terms of the conflict and conquering experienced by Jesus. Whether His opponent was Satan, death, or sin, Christ met with and triumphed over them all. We’ve traveled down the paths of Scripture that develop these truths many times and have benefitted greatly from the journey. But thereContinue reading “A Roman Cross and a Jewish Carpenter (1)”

You Can Be Good Without God (2)

The new atheism is like a lot of things wearing the label—there’s really nothing new about it. Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, the late Christopher Hitchens, and others are simply this generation’s militant atheists. There are to their time what Madelyn Murray O’Hare or Robert Ingersoll was in their day. They’re churning up the same arguments and objections toContinue reading “You Can Be Good Without God (2)”

You Can Be Good Without God (1)

That was the headline of a recent article that appeared in the USA Today’s religious column. It was written by Jerry Coyne, a professor of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago. It was fairly representative of what we’ve been hearing from New Atheism.     Let me begin by (gladly) stating the obvious: there are untold numbers ofContinue reading “You Can Be Good Without God (1)”

Yearbooks and Anchors

Thanks to sites like You Tube, you can watch your favorite musical groups perform their best songs. It’s a neat way to travel back in time and relive the music you grew up to. I was doing this not too long ago. The group I was listening to had been popular many, many years ago and I was goingContinue reading “Yearbooks and Anchors”

Wineskins, Patches and New Life

Readers of Scripture encounter two undeniable truths as they pore over the gospel accounts of Jesus:  He came to bring a new way of living, Most people weren’t interested (after all, He was crucified). Probably a third truth tracks subconsciously through our minds as we read about Him: I wouldn’t have treated Jesus that way.Continue reading “Wineskins, Patches and New Life”

What It Means To Follow Christ

Christ calls us to make a decision about discipleship.  He doesn’t call on us to simply decide if we want to accept the forgiveness He offers and get dunked in a baptistery—He calls us to make a decision to about having a relationship with Him. It is much like the decision to get married. Getting married is notContinue reading “What It Means To Follow Christ”

Until He Comes

Francis Scott Key was a lawyer in the Baltimore-DC area and something of a Washington insider. He served as the United States District Attorney for the District of Columbia during the Jackson administration. Of course, we know him best as the man who wrote the words to our national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner. InContinue reading “Until He Comes”

Turning Brokenness Into Beauty

When our children were very young, my wife and I made an important economic/ascetic decision. Rather than go on vacations to places we really couldn’t afford and our kids wouldn’t appreciate, we would go to state parks instead. You could rent a cabin at just about any park for a very affordable price and withContinue reading “Turning Brokenness Into Beauty”

The Wise Old Owl

A wise old owl lived in an oak. The more he saw, the less he spoke. The less he spoke, the more he heard. Why can’t we be like that wise old bird? I think there’s something of the above in Paul’s statement to Timothy that the Scriptures make us “wise for salvation through faith inContinue reading “The Wise Old Owl”

The Voice in the Wilderness

Fortunately for us, God feels absolutely no compulsion to do things the way we think He should. When He wants to call the nation of Israel back to Him, he raises up a fiery, rugged prophet named John. John is not PC, doesn’t dress well and has a questionable diet. I think it’s fair toContinue reading “The Voice in the Wilderness”