Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. (Jn. 8:6) The woman caught in adultery stands in the midst of the crowd ashamed of her actions and afraid for her life. The Pharisees are feverishly using that woman to set up Jesus. Many of the townspeople are gathered around with great curiosity, some …
Tag: faith
Jesus, Our Good Shepherd, Finds You
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.” (Jn. 10:11) It was my first sermon. I was doing an internship after my first year in seminary, and one of our duties that summer was to lead a service at an assisted living home. When it was my turn, I choose to talk about Jesus the Good …
Our Own Path to Faith
They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.’ (Jn. 4:42) The Samaritans had first believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony. What exactly they believed about …
Answering God’s Call
During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ (Acts. 16:9) Paul dreamed about the “man of Macedonia pleading” with him while he was in Asia Minor. Although the distance between Asia Minor and Macedonia was only a few …
Room For All
He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.’ (Lk. 4:17-18) One of church’s receptionists buzzed to tell me that she had a woman on the phone that demanded to talk with …
Standing Firm in Your Faith
If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all. (Isaiah 7:9) Hurricane Harvey dumped 50” of rain on Houston. Once I could get out of my neighborhood, I spent a few days at the shelters. I then spent a few days helping some friends demo their homes. Imagine losing everything …
Following Jesus
Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’ (Mt. 16:24) Are you all-in? Do you live with urgency, conviction, and purpose? Or, do you hesitate, dabble, hedge your bets, play it safe? One of the most striking characteristics …
In The Kingdom Business
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church… (Mt. 16:18) I’m tremendously grateful for the church. I’m grateful for its worship and fellowship; its ministry to needy people; and its service to the world. I’m grateful for the many times the church has given care and solace …
Faith Lost and Then Found Again
Then Job answered the Lord: ‘I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted…. Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.’ (Job 42:1-3) His name was Will. He was a retired clergy person who …
Delighting God’s Heart
No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.’ (Acts 2:16-17) I will …