Although I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink; instead I hope to come to you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. (2 John 12) I once had a serious break with my daughter that was breaking my heart. …
Tag: relationship
“Jamie, who are His People?”
An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham…. (Mt. 1:1f) If Jesus had lived in the neighborhood where I grew up, my grandmother would have been worried about me playing with Him. She would have wanted me to shy away from Jesus because He came from …
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 …
Being All-In With God
He said to them, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and will all your mind.’ (Mt. 22:37) I was meeting with a couple (I’ll call them John and Mary) before their wedding the next day. While reviewing their vows, John said, “I’m having a hard …
Worshipping and Praising God
Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. (Ps. 96:9) I recently led a workshop on Emotional Intelligence at the sheriff’s academy. Before starting to present the material, I asked the participants what it was like to be police officers these days. They were very forthcoming about all the strains, …
Jesus with You Always and Everywhere
But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you. (Mk. 16:7) I’ve been to Galilee. Even though it was incredible to be where Jesus once walked, no one would have thought Galilee was anything special before Jesus …
Encouraging One Another
Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. (1 Thess. 5:11) She was a world-class athlete, who had competed at the Iron Man championship in Hawaii—which is 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking, and 26.2 miles running. I had met her at the gym. If you sweat in close …
Seek the Living Jesus
The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but then the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.’ (Lk. 24:5) It is Easter morning. Some women have gone to Jesus’ tomb to anoint His body. As they …
Compassion, Acceptance, Understanding, Forgiveness
For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. (Mt. 7:3) My mother had been ill for a long time. When I became worried that she could die with only a minor cold, I decided to visit her so that we could …
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Jesus, Who Do You Say We Are?
… on the way [Jesus] asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ (Mk. 8:27-29) The disciples have been questioning Jesus’ identity. They have heard …