We all have fond examples of a child’s humorous response to a situation or relationship. One of my children when they were going through a battle of wills as a 3-year-old truthfully stated, “But I want to be the boss!” And while youngsters do possess leadership qualities, to be sure, as 3-year-olds, they are in…
It was just a few weeks before my fourteenth birthday when the 1996 Mt. Everest disaster occurred. Several expedition teams ascended the summit of the highest point on earth, led by competent guides, including Rob Hall of Adventure Consultants and Scott Fischer of Mountain Madness. On May 10, these two teams made their summiting bids….
Back in 2013, a horrific story was reported out of Florida of a sinkhole that opened up beneath the floor of a bedroom in a suburb of Tampa. The AP reported that “Jeff Bush was sleeping in a bedroom when the earth opened up and devoured him and part of the house. Five other people…
“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Sovereign One sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he…
It is Sunday afternoon and I’m facing a deadline for tomorrow’s Pastor’s Blog. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what to say when week after week we‘re asked to bear up under the pressure of negative global and national narratives. I don’t think I’m out of bounds in saying this specific moment of stress…
A Bully in the Church There is a powerful sin that happens within the church that I dare say has largely gone unaddressed to its own detriment and damage. This is the sin of bullying. One of the main qualifications for being a spiritual leader is that you cannot be “pugnacious” or “domineering” over believers:…
I’m becoming less and less shocked by the providential nature of life. I know…that doesn’t sound quite right coming from a pastor and theologian. But it’s true. You can know that God providentially guides all things toward his determined ends and yet still be shocked at how experientially amazing that fact is when you see…
As I survey our nation’s current state, I find myself wondering more and more whether Christ’s return is imminent. Such thinking is probably typical these days, but it can be a temptation to ruminate on things unprofitable. Jesus gave us a glimpse of His promised return to encourage watchfulness, not an anxious preoccupation. Our heart…
I have been greatly blessed with a close family and we have drawn closer under the pressures of national crisis. Probably like many families, we have had a lot of serious conversations of late about how to remain strong in our faith under the pressures of political strife and the uncertainty of the pandemic. I…
