“The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends and where the other begins?” ~ Edgar Allan Poe We set boundaries to protect the people, places, and things we love, but we also set boundaries to keep out those we don’t. The boundaries we… Read More »
Say Goodbye To A Punishing God
“A god who is all love, all grace, all mercy, no sovereignty, no justice, no holiness, and no wrath is an idol.” ~ R. C. Sproul If someone asked you to define the wrath of God, what would be your response? God’s anger? God’s vengeance? God’s justice? Some powerful words are synonymous with wrath, e.g.,… Read More »
Hero or Hero Maker?
“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” ~ Arthur Ashe On this Memorial Day, please remember all the people who have given their lives for the liberty you enjoy today. It would be best… Read More »
The Heart of Bethlehem
“Bethlehem was God with us, Calvary was God for us, and Pentecost is God in us.” ~ Robert Baer The Christmas story is mysterious, magical, miraculous, and apocalyptic. God came to earth as a fetus, born from above and with the same free will we possess, and yet Jesus never strayed from God’s plan for… Read More »
The Purpose of the Cross
“When we walk without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we proclaim Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly. We may be bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, all of this, but we are not disciples of the Lord.” ~ Pope Francis If asked about the… Read More »
Every Inch of My Love
“To love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength is all-consuming and all-encompassing. It is no lukewarm endeavor.” ~ Ezra Taft Benson Kingdom people love God with every inch of their being. If we do not, it means there something wrong with us. Consider the lengths we go to for someone we love.… Read More »
Confidence in Jesus
When we start in life, we naturally begin to wrestle with all the BIG questions of life, e.g., How did we get here? What is our purpose? What happens to us when we die? Who made God? Who are God’s creators? What is the meaning of life? Why is there so much uncertainty about our… Read More »
The Risen Life
“Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer As kingdom people, we confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. We profess with our lips that Jesus died and rose from the dead for the salvation of the world. We asked for… Read More »
Best News Ever
“No matter how serious or awful your sin is, God’s grace extends to cover it.” ~ Zach Zehender The contemporary Christian band “MercyMe” has a song titled “Best News Ever.” The band refers to the meaning of the word Gospel, which derives from the Anglo-Saxon Godspell (“good story”). The Greek word “euangelion” means “a reward… Read More »
The Enemy Within
“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.” ~ G.K. Chesterton Who are your enemies? It’s a fair question to ponder. In our readings today, Jesus defined our closest enemies, and like the disciples, we were not prepared for who he would point… Read More »