Each day you and I awake to a world that is experiencing the effects of sin. Broken relationships abound. Financial hardships occur. Places are wiped out by fires, hurricanes, and tsunamis. People die from sickness and starvation. In light of…
The Christian is tasked with being a citizen of Heaven while living in a broken world alongside sinful men and women within the context of a given culture or society. One aspect of that living that has seemed to transcend…
When was the last time you considered your spiritual gifts? When you think about them, are you quick to recognize they were given to you by Christ for the edification, equipping and encouragement of the church, or were you tempted…
This world teaches us live in light of the moment. Whatever brings temporary pleasure, satisfies our desires, and fulfills our dreams takes priority, even at the cost of hurting others. We’re not taught to count the cost, or think about…
Perhaps we’re most accustomed to thinking that we’re in danger of forgetting God during times of barrenness instead of times of blessing. But the Bible teaches that we’re just as prone to wander from worshiping God when things are going…
Think back over the past year of your life. When have you grown the most in knowing, loving, trusting and obeying God? For most of us the answer will not be in times of strength but of weakness, not in…
Glorification is the great hope of every believer in Christ. We who have been saved, who are now being sanctified and made into the image of Jesus, eagerly anticipate the day when the sanctifying…
If you happen to find yourself alone without any distractions, where do your thoughts wander? Are you anxious about that next job assignment, cowering before an intimidating boss, demanding your rights from someone, or eager to defend your motives? Do…
A few years back, the scientific community was in a tizzy over a photograph of a black hole. The aerospace engineering students in my congregation told me it wasn’t really a photograph of a black hole, though. It was a…
Tsehay Tolessa – Through a Fiery Furnace When, on July 28, 1979, the Lutheran pastor Gudina Tumsa was abducted at the end of a church service, the troubles for his wife were far from over.[1] Kidnapped at the same time,…
