Angry at God sometimes or confused by how He operates? Join the club. If it were easy to comprehend His every move, we’d be closer to being on par with Him. Even though many people find that an attractive goal, it causes me concern.  But sometimes we do run across some questionable responses by God and we…

I understand I have needs. Do you? Having grown up as a red blooded, independent spirited “Merican,” there is a tendency over a lifetime to grit one’s teeth and try to accomplish everything yourself. After all, who wants to admit their shortcomings or weaknesses?  Over the years we even begin to see our abilities morph into what…

Have I created a “fake god?” In The Cure, (a recommended read), author John Lynch raises this question. Does this apply to you in some way? “We imagine Him staring at us with a thin smile and a measured nod. He has to love us, but He’s not sure He likes us. His arms are folded. He wears an…

My 4th grade teacher was an evangelist . . . of sorts. At least I can affirm she had “beautiful feet.” Perhaps her example can be an example for all of us. I’ll explain what I mean down the road here. Times are different now and I get that. There are limitations as to where the word of God…

Why do Jesus followers wear more masks than other people? Eventually, even the best of masks will fail to do what we intended for them and we will be revealed for who we truly are. Our masks work with people for a while, but just for a while. But they do nothing to conceal the truth…

Winning Through Intimidation by Robert Ringer was a popular read in the 1970’s. I’m certain that wasn’t Jesus’ model for evangelism. I’m just as certain Jesus doesn’t want us to be intimidated from joining Him in the greater process of bringing people into relationship with Him. Sadly, I believe most Christians are fearful of even engaging in spiritual conversations.  Most…

“Co-exist.” What does that mean and who really means it? We’ve all seen the clever bumper sticker that uses symbols to convey a message of “tolerance.” In the original, uncomplicated version, originator Piotr Mlodozenis uses commonplace symbols for Islam, Judaism and Christianity to nudge the notion that we can all get along, following the rhythm of “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” the 1974 hit…

Is it safe to tell a new believer about grace? The word itself appears about 120 times in the New Testament so it must have some significance for us. The Judaizers in the Apostle Paul’s day hated grace and feared what it would do if it got loose. “Paul, you can’t tell them that! These people are…

I Once Was Lost is the name of a short read by Don Everts and Doug Schaupp which provides an insight into what postmodern skeptics report about their path to Jesus. Notice I don’t say pathway to church or to Christianity. In general, skeptics find the person of Jesus to be a lot more appealing  than the…

Don’t bother reading this piece if you’re not interested in helping other people come to faith. I know God is keenly interested in this matter, so I’ve asked Him to guide me in what I say here and keep me straight. Over many years I’ve become convinced that the main reason we (followers of Jesus) aren’t engaging more non-believers…

“Dealing” with God. No, I don’t mean God is a God who makes deals in the way we think of it. He does make conditional promises. He will do this if we do that. Most of them are tied to His giving blessing to those  who obey Him and  demonstrate to reverence Him. It’s not at all about “mutual…

Have you ever taken inventory on your compassion for those who are “far from God?”  We’ve been looking at the story (and character) of Jonah these past few weeks, and so far he doesn’t look too good.  At least from this reading, his “credits” don’t look as visible as his “discredits.” I was just wondering if, like me, when you look in your mirror…