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 vivid lesson on kindness found throughout Old Testament scripture is how frequently kindness is expected as a matter of reciprocity. Abimelech expected kindness from Abraham in return for having shown kindness to Abraham: “God is with you in all…
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…
What does it mean to be happy? Well meaning people may exhort us to this end, but how do we define happiness? Some would argue that happiness is found in one’s appearance. Others…
It’s hard to imagine what life would be like without time. From scheduling appointments, events, worship services, school calendars, playdates, business meetings, ceremonies, meals, and the like, our entire lives revolve around time. But have you ever considered that time…
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,…
When was the last time you failed to follow God’s call to holiness? Maybe you knew you should give a gracious answer, but instead responded to a friend, spouse, or child with anger. Perhaps you knew you were to be…
When studying God one quickly has to answer challenging questions. How far does God’s authority extend? How much of what happens in this world is God responsible for? For those who take Scripture seriously God’s eternal decree cannot be avoided.…
One of the things we most want in life is to be loved. We want our parents and siblings to love us. We want our friends and extended family members to love us. We want our coaches and teachers to…
Oh, the goodness of God’s anger! That God, in his divine simplicity, has anger and is immutably angry, presupposes that God has goodness and is good. Christopher Ash and Steve Midgley state the doctrine well, “If God were not angry…
