In many events where audiences crowded in prior to our universal Covid19 “experience,” video now shows “Cardboard Cutouts” in the seats where fans previously occupied them. These are the enthusiasts, folks who once filled the arenas, stadiums and conference centers. There is no denying that caution must be taken and that for some who are at greater risk, the wiser…

What is your response when someone comes to you for counsel? Do you have a welcoming disposition? Does it make you feel affirmed, just a little bit? What about with those repeat “askers?” Do you think to yourself, what, again? Haven’t we covered this ground before? I’ve gone over this with you before. I thought…

More and more we have become a “grab and go” culture. We don’t limit this methodology to just drive-through dining and microwave meals. We quite often are satisfied to get much of our information, form our opinions and establish our values on paper-thin and shallow sources. Our attention spans are shrinking and the sturdy “shovels” with which…

In 2 Cor. 5:21 Paul wrote “He made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Jesus).”  As marvelous as it is, justification means more than just the forgiveness of our sins. In the same act of love through which God…

Have you ever watched a sculptor work? It doesn’t matter if the medium used is stone or wood, the process is truly remarkable as the artist, with a vision of the finished work clearly in his or her mind’s eye, works patiently to “liberate” from that raw material something of completed form and lasting beauty.  Michelangelo labored for…

Where do we turn to determine God’s will? (This segment wraps up a 3 part blog which hopefully will give you some practical and biblical insight in arriving at the type of decisions we commonly wrestle with and desire to work through to a result which will be pleasing to God) We noted in the…

Undoubtedly God always has the best interest in mind for those who have come to faith in him through Jesus. (Rom. 8:28) We are accepted and loved and God’s affection and regard for us is not determined by how well we jump through behavioral hoops in our efforts to gain his notice and favor. However,…

At any Christian bookstore one of the most sought out sections has to do with knowing God’s will. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. “ (1 Thess. 5:16-18) Is that it? All of it? Certainly desiring God’s will is a good thing. But…

We live in an age where mass media and social media can be used  –  you might say are being used as weaponry against many of the principles we, as Christians see as foundational and representative of our worldview and way of life. There is a new weapon in the secular arsenal called “cancel – culture,” which attempts to…

Take a minute and think. What did you believe the Christian life was all about when you first began your “journey with Jesus?” Now that you’ve been down the path a ways, just how did your early expectations match the reality you’ve experienced? For many, and I’ll lump myself in with this group, we didn’t really have a…

Funerals tend to be sobering events. After all, one’s mortality is serious business. Fear of death and what physical death means can bring forth feelings of anxiety and fear and even Christians are not immune to these challenges. But we have the ability to re-align our perspectives to God’s way of seeing things and deal with these crises with…