Advent Day 8: Matthew 8: The Jesus We Follow

The eight chapter of Matthew, close on the heels of the Sermon on the Mount, is a spectacular introduction to the Jesus we follow. What is probably most amazing is the variety of people that Jesus meets along the way after he came down from teaching. This is probably significant. It probably means something amazing…

Book Review: Jesus Outside the Lines

Title: Jesus Outside the Lines Author: Scott Sauls Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Year: 2015 Pages: 210 Disclaimer: Happily I was provided a free copy of Jesus Outside the Lines via Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my free and unbiased review of the book. Joyfully, I present to you my review–free of additives, preservatives, and…

The Kingdom of Crucifixion

Friends, here is the text for tomorrow’s sermon from Luke 9. The gist is that Jesus has given us power and authority to do something. That something is defined by Jesus himself as ‘proclamation of the kingdom’ and ‘healing the sick’ and ‘authority over demons.’ It seems to me that sometimes we church folk have…

A Powerful Kingdom of Poverty

A Powerful Kingdom of Poverty Genesis 10, Luke 9 I’m not a little behind on these, but I promise I have been doing the reading. I actually have notes for several days’ worth of writing. I’ve just been wiped out lately and unmotivated to write. Nevertheless, today I’m in the mood to write. Today mostly…

NT Wright on Resurrection and Fear

Friends, And the resurrection of Jesus issues the surprising command: don’t be afraid; because the God who made the world is the God who raised Jesus from the dead, and calls you now to follow him. Believing in the resurrection of Jesus isn’t just a matter of believing that certain things are true about the…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 90: John 21:15-25: Loving, Living, and Following Jesus

John 21:15-25 (90 Days with Jesus, Day 90) When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 53: John 11:11-16: Going with Jesus

John 11:11-16 11After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” 12His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14So…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 26: John 6:41-51: The Flesh of Jesus

John 6:41-51 41At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” 43″Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered.…

Feeling Left Behind, Left Out, Out in Left, Left Alone

Friends, I’m in my study. It’s a beautiful day outside–I’m inside. I’m making phone calls, returning e-mails, ordering office supplies, and typing on my laptop a post for my blog. Right now I’m waiting on hold with the office supply people; part of an order was backordered and I’m curious to know how long I…

90 Days With Jesus, Day 11: John 3:22-30: Finding Joy in Being Less

John 3:22-30  22After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. 24(This was before John was put in prison.) 25An…

Our Work: The Jesus Way & The Cross

Earlier this year Eugene Peterson published his third in a series of books on spiritual theology. The book, The Jesus Way, is a remarkable portrait of the nature of a true disciple of Jesus. It is a way characterized by sacrifice, failure, the margins, and holiness. He wrote, “More often than not I find my…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 7: John 2:1-11: Something (One) Better

John 2:1-11 1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4″Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied, “My…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 6: John 1:43-53, Where He Leads Me…

John 1:43-51 43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of…

It’s So Hard to be a Christian in America!

Read this article from WorldNetDaily.com: http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55990 Think you got it bad here in America? Think your church stinks? Think you’re not getting anything out of the worship on Sundays? Read this article. “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering”–Hebrews 13:3…

90 Days with Jesus, Day 5: John 1:35-42…Following Jesus

John 1:35-42 “The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means…