“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”–Matthew 6:25a, 26 Have you ever heard the tale of the Worry Monster? At first…
HOW LONG, O LORD?
“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” –Psalms 13:1 I recently came across an amazing story from the life of C.S. Lewis. An act of cruelty had cut him deep and he had prayed for God to help him forgive the offender. He…
RECOVERING PHARISEE PART 3
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable… Luke 15:1-3a It is one of the most powerful stories that Jesus ever told. Countless lives…
RECOVERING PHARISEE Part 2
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 I was only 12 yrs. old when I led my first “Bible study.” I use that term loosely because I mostly just tried to…
Recovering Pharisee
Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. Acts 23:6 Recently, I’ve been preaching through a series on the significance of spiritual practices of the Christian faith. Spiritual disciplines (such as Bible study, prayer, fasting, giving, serving) are exercises that help strengthen our faith in Jesus. They encourage our devotion to God as…
A Day I’m So Grateful For
The following is a post written by my wife, Heather. She is a special woman with a special heart. Today marks the anniversary of a very special day. A day that I had prayed with all my heart to happen for 10 years. I met James the first day of my freshmen year of high…
God Listens
“Cornelius, your prayer has been heard” Acts 10:31a I have to share a tremendous blessing I experienced recently. About a week and a half ago, I witnessed two of my nieces, Hannah and Bethany, be baptized into Christ by their father. As a minister, I don’t get to stand back and watch someone’s baptism as…
THE SILENCE OF GOD
O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! Psalm 83:1 “I like you, you don’t talk much,” were the words my grandmother (on my mother’s side) told my wife, Heather, when they first met. She meant it very sincerely. Both my parents come from large families. My…
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. PSALMS 119:11 In the world of modern technology, convenience has become the rule of the day. We work smarter not harder. We want things faster and easier. If we are hungry and in a rush we buy fast food….
TEARS FOR OUR NATION
And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known this day the things that make for peace.” Luke 19:41-42 The events of recent weeks in America have been some of the most troubling times of our lives. Last week, each morning came…
JOHN NEWTON’S SECOND CHANCE
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 If you have grown up in church you’ve probably sung his song over a hundred times. If you’ve never been to church in your life this would be the one hymn…
Doors
“For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” 1 Corinthians 16:9 I can remember the very first doors that I ever walked through. I was born in Houston, TX. Many people have been (my beautiful wife comes to mind), but not many were born in the…
CROSS WORDS 