Signs in the Gospel of John

One of the most important components of the Gospel of John are the presence of signs. In what appears to be John’s purpose statement for his Gospel (20:30-31) he states that the signs that have been recorded in this Gospel have been purposely put there to build our faith resulting in eternal life. N.T. Wright [...]

Celebrating God’s Deliverance (Acts 12)

Word came back to the disciples that James had been killed and Peter was arrested. With a political system in flux and a need to find favor with the Jewish constituents, Peter’s life hung in the balance. The Christians began to pray. I wonder what it is they prayed for. I think if I were [...]

God’s Providence in Acts 1-10

The more experience I have as a child of God the more I come to the conclusion that there are few accidents in the world. I am not saying that God gives us that first parking spot at Wal-Mart, unless of course you get out of the car and have an encounter with someone that [...]

Rediscovering God - Hearing it Again for the First Time

Philip Yancey wrote, “Strangely, rediscovery may strike a deeper chord than discovery.” (What’s So Amazing About Grace, 52). There are fewer books in the Bible that is more true of than the Psalms. Written over half a century and read now for three thousand years the psalms are valuable in the process of rediscovering God. [...]

Holy Spirit Part 3: Role in the Old Testament

Role in Creation:
In the Old Testament the word for spirit is the same as the word wind and breath (רוּח) which occurs 378 times. From the very beginning the Spirit played a role in creation, “and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Gen 1:2). God’s Spirit not only assisted in the creation [...]

Evangelism - Helping Reluctant Messengers

Not all of God’s messengers in scripture were as eager as we would like to think. Not everyone responded as quickly and wholeheartedly as Peter and Levi. Moses said he wasn’t a good speaker. Isaiah had lip problems - how could he speak for God when he had said some things that weren’t so godly [...]

Solitude - The Trend that Has Not Yet Arrived

Henri Nouwen wrote, “I have learned much, but the time has come to realize that neither parents nor teachers nor counselors can do much more than offer a free and friendly place where one has to discover his own lonely way…This experience is frightful as well as exhilarating because it is the great experience of [...]

Enjoying the Beauty of Creation

We woke up this morning to a flock of egrets in our backyard and took this picture. If that wasn’t enough, we have a lake two blocks south of our house that is the home to thousands of egrets, ducks, and great herons. I was driving around the lake and saw a HUGE turtle basking [...]

This and That

Milk & Honey (Thanks to Wiley Lowe for pointing this one out):In the book of Judges you have the story of Deborah and Jair. Sisera was leading the forces of Jaban the Canaanite king against the Israelites. Deborah, whose name can also mean “bee” calls Barak to defeat Sisera and his men. Barak hesitates and [...]