Have you ever been penalized for something that you did, and though you deserved it, you felt that punishment was too severe? Have you pleaded your case asking for grace, for mercy, for another punishment? That’s a tough spot to be in. You know you were wrong, and yet you feel the discipline is harsh,Continue reading “Why Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land (and the important principle we can learn from it)”
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Is your church too small?
Why are there so many Christian churches and denominations? Can’t you all just get along? Maybe the fact that there are so many churches and denominations is proof that Christianity is false. Jesus prayed in John 17:20-21 that not only his twelve disciples, but also those who would become his followers through the ministry ofContinue reading “Is your church too small?”
If God told you to kill children, would you do it? (Two Thoughts on those Holy War passages in the Old Testament)
If God told you to kill children would you do it? Quite a question, isn’t it? The answer should be an obvious “No”, right? We’re studying the biblical book of Deuteronomy on Sunday mornings at Faith Church, and we’ve come to some troubling passages where God commands the armies of Israel to kill children. InContinue reading “If God told you to kill children, would you do it? (Two Thoughts on those Holy War passages in the Old Testament)”
4 leadership principles from Moses in Deuteronomy 1
Not too many of us will ever lead a group or organization with a million or more people like Moses did. But just about all of us will have the chance to lead at least a few people. Parents and grandparents lead their families. At work you might have some employees you’re responsible for. OrContinue reading “4 leadership principles from Moses in Deuteronomy 1”
Would your family wait 500 years for God to fulfill his promise? (Surveying the history of Israel up to the time of Deuteronomy)
500 years! What if God made you a promise; a promise to you, your family and descendants? How long do you think your family could stay faithful to God if it started to seem like his promise wasn’t coming through? 10 years? 50? How long could they make it after you passed away? What wouldContinue reading “Would your family wait 500 years for God to fulfill his promise? (Surveying the history of Israel up to the time of Deuteronomy)”
Why does the book of Deuteronomy have such a weird name?
Yesterday, I introduced the book of Deuteronomy as a bold, risky, truth-telling book. But what in the world is this name Deuteronomy all about? To answer that question, we first need to find where Deuteronomy is located in the Bible. Deuteronomy is, in fact, the fifth book of the Bible. Starting with Genesis, we continueContinue reading “Why does the book of Deuteronomy have such a weird name?”
Moses’ fireside chat: Introducing Deuteronomy, a bold, risky book of truth-telling
I want you to imagine a scene with me. In this scene older adults sit down with their family. Splayed out around them are their kids, grandkids, and maybe even great-grandkids. The older adult then starts telling the family history. They include the familiar stories, and they tell ones never heard. What I am describingContinue reading “Moses’ fireside chat: Introducing Deuteronomy, a bold, risky book of truth-telling”
Jesus doesn’t want believers, he wants…
Jesus doesn’t want believers? What? Yes, he does. Doesn’t he? Yes, he does. He even said “Believe in me.” Read the Gospel of John and you’ll hear Jesus say that many times. So a couple of years ago the leader of my denomination, Bishop Bruce Hill, made the statement in the title of this post. When IContinue reading “Jesus doesn’t want believers, he wants…”
When Jesus was people-watching and taught his disciples how to be generous
I love people-watching. When I was in college, I took a class in which one of our assignments was to go to a place where lots of people walk by and we had to people-watch. While we were watching them, we were to pray that God would give us a heart for people. I neverContinue reading “When Jesus was people-watching and taught his disciples how to be generous”
Learning how to say “Yes” and “No” to serving in the church
How should we view serving in the church? (For that matter, how should we view serving at work, serving at home, serving our neighbors?). Each of us should ask: am I serving like God wants me to? Are you saying “Yes” enough? Are you saying “No” enough? How should we respond to all the opportunitiesContinue reading “Learning how to say “Yes” and “No” to serving in the church”
Engaging Scripture 