By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8, NIV)

God has called men and women throughout history to set aside their own goals and aspirations and take up his cause, making his plans their plans, his mission their mission, his concerns their concerns, his heart their heart.Continue reading→

It seems like every other news headline has the word “worried” in it. A national news service recently took a poll of the top fifteen things Americans are worried about. Not surprising, the top three on the list were healthcare, the economy, and terrorism. Worry tends to be a staple of the news cycle these days, and seems to occupy a significant part of our lives.Continue reading→

Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. (Psalm 84:3, NIV)

What worth does a sparrow have in the eyes of the world? Not much. It is too small to eat for food. It doesn’t have an impressive plume of feathers. It doesn’t make a very distinctive sound. It isn’t known for its aerobatic maneuvers. It is a very common creature. But, the sparrow has found a home at the house of the Lord.Continue reading→

It’s amazing how different truth can be from what we fear is true. In Genesis 43, Joseph’s brothers were convinced they were in big trouble. They were certain that the powerful Egyptian official they were facing was going to bust them for stealing and that at least some of them were going to end up in prison or as slaves.Continue reading→

Just before Jesus began his public ministry, he went out into the desert wilderness where he fasted for 40 days. While there, he was tempted by the devil with a variety of come-ons—the devil hoping to de-rail Jesus’ mission (Matthew 4:1-11).

The devil said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (v3). Jesus was obviously very hungry after fasting for so long. Refusing to make food to feed himself from the stones lying next to him would have been difficult enough. But there was also the much larger temptation being presented to him: to create food enough for everyone, removing hunger from the entire planet.Continue reading→

I read an interesting news story the other day. A British woman who had lived a quiet life of solitude, had recently passed away at the respectable age of 99. She was a pensioner, who was said to be rather shy and reclusive. The neighbors didn’t seem to know much about her, except that she was very nice but kept to herself. There is nothing particularly remarkable about that. For years, rumors had circulated that she had been a spy once upon a time, but no one seemed to know exactly how that rumor got started.Continue reading→

Have you ever thought about what it takes to put on a Sunday service?  Just like the early church, our church is primarily “run” by volunteers. I just wanted to take a moment to thank the incredibly generous people who contribute their time so that I can enjoy being fed spiritually every Sunday and during the week.Continue reading→

Superheroes are the rage: Ironman, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Wolverine, Storm, and dozens more. Having a super power would be super: the ability to fly, the strength of a locomotive, the speed of light, indestructible armor, dazzling tech enhancements, brightly colored tights (maybe not those).Continue reading→

Sometimes life is so easy and fun. I look forward to getting up and charging into the exciting adventures awaiting me that day. But I would be lying if I said every day was that way. There are some days when life seems almost unbearable. Sometimes life is hard, really hard. What gives me strength to face life when it feels like the whole world is conspiring against me?Continue reading→

Group worship can be an incredible rush. There are few things more satisfying and joyful than singing out to the LORD on a Sunday morning along with a couple hundred of my brothers and sisters—people I love, whose lives I’ve seen transformed by the grace of God.Continue reading→