Is Jesus Crazy? Does He Do His Work By The Power Of Satan?
Jesus’ Authority, the Unforgivable Sin, and Redefining Family in the Kingdom of God By the time we get to Mark 3:20-35, we see Jesus drawing great crowds and beginning to encounter opposition from unexpected places. His family tries to take Him home because they think He has lost His mind. Some religious leaders accusing Jesus […]
Love Does Not Supersede the Commandments. It Is the Commandments.
For the next few weeks, we are going to walk through the Gospel of Mark. As we go through this Gospel, I encourage you to read it like a story. We often study the Bible a few verses at a time – a great thing, to be sure! – but in doing so, we don’t […]
Life a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life by Practicing Forgiveness
“Bitterness is a poison you swallow hoping someone else gets sick.” I don’t know who said this, but it’s true. When you hold onto hurt — when you refuse to forgive — you are the one you are hurting. This has been a spiritual truth for millennia. More recently it has become a scientifically demonstrated […]
Faith vs. Philosophy: The Athanasian Creed
On Trinity Sunday, we reflect on the profound mystery of the Holy Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Athanasian Creed (typically used only on Trinity Sunday because of its length and philosophical wordiness) clearly defines what Christians mean when they say they believe in the Trinity. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit […]
How To Follow the Holy Spirit’s Lead
(Note: This is a summary of a sermon preached on Pentecost Sunday 2024) Pentecost, a term derived from the Greek word for fifty, marks a significant event in the Christian calendar. Originally known as the Feast of Weeks in the Old Testament, this Jewish festival was celebrated fifty days after Passover. It was a time […]
Can You Enjoy the Turkey Chase?
I was running after a turkey down a long red hallway with lights on both walls every so often. Every time I reached out my hands to grab the turkey, it eluded my grasp. As I ran, the hallway stretched longer and longer. The lights flashed by as I ran ever faster but never fast […]
Climbing the Two-Rung Ladder to Jesus: From Atheism to Theism, and from Theism to Christ
Of course, life is a nuanced affair filled with infinite variety. But I think the journey from agnostic to Christian in the foundational sense is as simple as a two-rung ladder. If you step onto this ladder, two short steps will get you believing in and exploring the person and work of Jesus Christ. The […]
A Surprising Insight from Jesus’ Ascension
Jesus ascended into Heaven and the clouds hid him from his followers. But have you ever asked yourself, “Why did Jesus levitate if He could have just blipped into heaven?” It seems clear that Jesus didn’t rise up in the sky to travel to heaven. We’ve been quite far beyond the clouds. There is unimaginable […]
Love Is Death Is Joy
In our passage for today, John 15:9–17, Jesus says an amazing thing. He says, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” Jesus wants you to be full of joy! But how, in the midst of all that life throws at us, […]