Sunday Worship @ 10 a.m.
I remember that weekend clearly. We were expecting our first child and it was time to pick a name. Not one name but two actually since we didn't know if mama was expecting a baby boy or girl. Armed with half a dozen of name books my wife and I went away for two days. We had some good laughs and lots of serious conversation before agreeing on two sets of names. Our sweet b...
Keep ReadingThis question appears to be the sort of question seminary students like to discuss over a cup of coffee. Something that floats around in the realm of theory, far removed from day to day Christian life. But the issue is more relevant than we think. Our answer reveals our view of God and nothing else shapes our lives more than that. It also touches on one of the greatest pri...
Keep Reading"Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief" (Is. 53:10) "This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men" (Acts 2:23) "For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, alon...
Keep ReadingThe bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the foundation of our faith. It's not the icing on the doctrinal cake, it is the cake. The apostle Paul gives us a list of the detrimental consequences if there would be no resurrection. If there is no resurrection from the dead then: Christ has not been raised Our preaching is useless Our faith is empty We ar...
Keep ReadingTerrorist group Boko Haran pursuing Christian genocide in Nigeria. ISIS terrorists threatening to kill children unless their fathers renounce faith in Jesus. Gunmen firing at a bus carrying Coptic Christians in Egypt. Violent hatred against believers is rampant in many parts of the world. We must pray for the persecuted church. But what about the bad guys? There is a type...
Keep ReadingThe fourth Servant Song in Isaiah (Is. 52:13-53:12) is often read or preached from during the Passion Week, and understandably so. Isaiah penned this poem 700 years before Christ's death. Yet his depiction of the experience and essence of the cross pulsates with New Testament Gospel clarity. Since the Middle Ages, most Jews interpret The Servant as a reference to the nati...
Keep ReadingDoes your life ever feel like a runaway train? Are you disillusioned and afraid when you think about the state of affairs in the nation? What about some of your other anxieties and concerns? Do you worry about your health, job security, church or (grand)children? Are you tempted to think that your problems are too big to solve and your troubles too complex to untangle? If...
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