• Hymn by Julia H. Johnston, written in 1910: Grace Greater Than Our Sin

    Who Is My Neighbor?

    Who is my neighbor? It's a question that we should well be asking in our changing society. Jesus' parable about the good Samaritan beautifully illustrates that when we see someone in need, even an enemy, we should extend mercy. We preach that we need to see the image of God in everyone...we sing about grace that is greater than all our sin. Do we practice living out this grace toward others? Do we practice mercy? Do we prove to be a true neighbor? "You go, and do likewise." (Luke 10:37)

  • California Super Bloom

    Faith & Trust: Living It Out

    In the United States we have the motto, “In God We Trust,” printed on all our money. Most Christians are likely to point out the utter hypocrisy or at least the irony of this statement given our present society’s idolization of wealth. But beloved, can we all take a moment to look at our own lives and attitudes and ponder whether or not we ourselves are walking in light of God’s truth and promises?

  • Photo of cross with Psalm 27:4

    The Beauty of the Gospel

    Have you ever really stopped to think about the impossibility of mankind being able to save themselves? We have had roughly 6,000 years of biblical history unfolding to date, and we have not and will not ever develop the perfect person or society. Why? While man claims that we can evolve into something better given enough time, Jesus prophesied that in the last days the world and mankind would devolve and get worse...

  • [Eph 1:16-17, 19 ESV]

    Faith Working Through Love

    Perhaps it is serendipitous, maybe a little ironic, for me to be writing about work and rest on our Labor Day holiday weekend here in the United States. This federal holiday was enacted as a response to the action of labor activists who wanted to recognize our workers as making significant contributions to America's strength, prosperity, and well-being. It is a nationwide day off granted as a rest from our great labors. There is a somewhat similar idea in the Bible called the Sabbath day, which was the seventh day in the Jewish week on which no work was to be performed. It was to be a picture of God's…

  • 3 crosses at sunset

    The Mercy at the Heart of the Golden Rule

    Reciprocity. It is a basic human desire, even an expectation, to be treated fairly and with respect. There are norms in every society that influence a person's behavior, many unspoken, expectations for the return of a kindness done to another. Sometimes the kindness done is motivated by a selfish desire to receive some favor back, the "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine" philosophy. Sometimes. less obviously or even hidden from our own conscious recognition, a kindness is done in the hopes of fulfilling a deep need, such as love or friendship, the "if I do this thing, what will I gain and what will it cost?" type of mathematical…

  • Man's hand on Bible

    God’s Honest Truth

    Have you ever asked this yourself? What IS truth? We live in a society nowadays, especially here in the United States, where "fake news" is a buzzword and people's mouths are filled with words that are chosen to sell us a product or persuade us to act. They spin a story. They spin the truth...So, what is truth, just as this Roman governor asked two millennia ago, and where can we turn to find it?

  • heap of different nominal per dollars

    Prophets or Profits: My Two Cents

    Prophets or profits: making sense of it all is our theme today. With many mega-churches and ministries in the U.S. holding millions in assets, how is it that we have poor members in our midst? What message are we sending the world? Jesus said that the world would recognize His own by the love we have for each other. Where is this love? Have our capitalistic values in this country doused the light we are to be? How can we be missions-minded with money-driven goals? Are we so focused on doing big ministry that we forget those right next to us who struggle in the local church body? Here is…

  • Little lamb in field

    Repentance: Work of Man or Grace of God?

    Is repentance a work of man or a work of God? Some claim that we add to the gospel or Word of God when repentance is preached. Well, what was the teaching of Jesus? What was the practice of the apostles? Why is repentance such an important theme in the Bible?

  • Crown of Kings & Crown of Thorns

    Thy Will Be Done

    Have you ever wondered why there is such a poor witness in many a church these days? Scandals seem to be more common, and sadly, are even expected by a jaded world. Whether it be a lack of moral purity, greed, or the false idol of personal popularity, the world is watching and saying that religion is poison. And you know what? This type is!

  • A pie surrounded by stalks of wheat and apples

    A Slice of Humble Pie

    "But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." [Isaiah 66:2 ESV] You would have to had nipped the strong drink of propaganda and then fallen sound asleep like Rip Van Winkle to not notice the lack of humility here in the United States, especially in the last six years or so. I mean, do the scriptures on humility above reflect our culture at all?

  • Mountain scene reflecting in lake

    A Reflection On Perfection

    Have you ever considered the word "perfect?" It is used in many ways today, but I'd like to focus on the sense of the word used in scripture to describe Christ and His sacrifice: to lack nothing necessary to completeness, to be of consummate integrity and virtue. A rough analogy nowadays would be a perfect diamond, one without flaws in cut, color, or clarity. Such internally perfect diamonds are rare--less than 0.5 percent fall into this category. They are also full of faceted beauty. In the spiritual world, there is only One who is perfect, whose beauty is so great that mortal man cannot bear the vision and live: "our…

  • Sign post: Right Way, Wrong Way, My Way

    Faith or Fable

    Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. [John 14:5-6 ESV]