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  • A God Like Y0u – Micah 7:18-20

    Many are searching for God. Jesus said that those who seek, find (cf. Gospel of Matthew 7:7). But sometimes what we are seeking is not truly God at all. Sometimes we are searching for a projection — a deity shaped by our fears, our wounds, our need for control, or our assumptions about justice. Then…

  • Actual Border-Control Issues

    “And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.”  – Nehemiah 12:30 It is hard to comprehend the importance of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem without understanding the times in which Nehemiah and the people of his day lived. Unwalled cities were always vulnerable to attack…

  • The Narrow Way Is Not What You Think

    Matthew 7:1–14 In preparing this week’s sermon on Matthew 7, I found myself wrestling with one phrase that has unsettled readers for centuries: “Enter through the narrow gate… for the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life.” What does Jesus mean by narrow? Is it narrow to keep people out?Is…

  • A Prophetic Moment for Shouting

    The time has come for shouting and not holding back. Shout out; do not hold back!    Lift up your voice like a trumpet! – Isaiah 58:1 The prophetic moment has arrived. The Word of God is laser focused on our day in history and upon us who profess to be the people of God. God is…

  • Chariots and Horses

    Where Is Your Trust? “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” – Psalm 20:7 I know that it is not even spring, but some folks have summer on their minds already. When it arrives, it will bring summer camp for the young and…

  • Not Yet — But Pressing On

    A Devotional Reflection on Philippians 3:1–12 “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”— Philippians 3:12 (KJV) There are two confessions that keep a Christian healthy. The first: “I’m not there yet.”The second:…

  • Got You Covered

    It was a moment of embarrassment, the kind that wakes you up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night when you dreamt it: Lunch was done; conversation paused, the wait person dropped off the check. It was a reasonable amount. My face did not turn unnaturally white until I reached for my…

  • That I May Know Him

    Philippians 3:1-11 Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Against a backdrop of resurrection hope, Paul writes: Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is not troublesome to me, and for you it is a safeguard. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil…

  • Mizpah Benediction

    I grew up with the Mizpah Benediction and always loved it, “”The Lord watch between you and me, when we are absent one from the other. ” (NRSV) Of course, when we read on, it is a father telling his son-in-law, “You better treat my daughters well or else … and let’s keep our distance…

  • New People in a New Church

    The Joy of Shared Beginnings “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” — Acts 2:42 (KJV) What do new believers do in a newly constituted congregation? They dive in. They get to know God’s Word.They get to know each other.They begin to experience the…