Vertical & Horizontal Morality and the mission of the church, Part 5 In Matthew 15, Jesus is being bold, confronting the religious elite, basically not only telling them off, but also telling the people in the crowd how wrong the religious leaders were. That makes the disciples nervous, and rightly so, because those religious leadersContinue reading “Why Jesus said the heart matters”
Tag Archives: bible study
Sinus infections, hand-washing, bamboo, and what really matters to Jesus
Vertical & Horizontal Morality and the mission of the church, Part 4 As I type this, I have a sinus infection. I get one just about every year. This past June, I even had a rare summer sinus infection. Outside in direct sunlight, I was shaking with fever chills. Yesterday at a doctor appointment, IContinue reading “Sinus infections, hand-washing, bamboo, and what really matters to Jesus”
How some churches are actually two companies that Jesus never asked us to form
Vertical & Horizontal Morality and the mission of the church, Part 3 My church expresses vertical and horizontal faith in a public statement we post on every email we send to our church family: “We are a congregation developing a deeper relationship with God and extending his love to our community.” Notice the twoContinue reading “How some churches are actually two companies that Jesus never asked us to form”
Vertical morality: how some Christians justify horrific behavior
Vertical & Horizontal Morality and the mission of the church, Part 2 Do we further the will of God by killing people? That’s extreme, and we could perhaps say, “No, we should obviously never further the will of God by killing people.” When would we even have the opportunity to further the will of GodContinue reading “Vertical morality: how some Christians justify horrific behavior”
Are my students defending our Christian university against the devil?
Vertical & Horizontal Morality and the mission of the church, Part 1 In my role as adjunct professor for a local Christian University, I teach a course called Interpreting the Bible. The textbook we use is The Bible: An Introduction by Jerry Sumney. Some students have strong feelings about this book. Over the pastContinue reading “Are my students defending our Christian university against the devil?”
What Napster’s recent business model change got me thinking about
Vertical & Horizontal Morality and the mission of the church, Preview Take a look at this word: LoFi. Do you know what LoFi is? It’s a kind of calm instrumental music that emphasizes bass beats. LoFi is great background music. Check it out, if you’ve never heard it before. When I am in the office,Continue reading “What Napster’s recent business model change got me thinking about”
The future light of Jesus is available now
Advent 2025, Week 4: John’s Light of Christmas Past/Present/Future, Part 5 In the previous posts this week, I’ve point out how Jesus is the light of Christmas past and present. Now we travel to the future, when Jesus, the light of the world, returns. In Revelation 21:23–24, we read a vision of that future light,Continue reading “The future light of Jesus is available now”
The light that never goes out
Advent 2025, Week 3: Psalm 139, Part 5 This guest post is by Molly Stouffer, a ministry student at Regent University. Does anything feel like darkness in your life right now? Maybe it’s sin that you can’t seem to shake yourself from, or shame that you’ve carried for such a long time that you feelContinue reading “The light that never goes out”
How the light of Jesus can help us heal relationships
Advent 2025, Week 4: John’s Light of Christmas Past/Present/Future, Part 4 Jesus, the light of Christmas present, can bring healing to our broken relationships. Do you have any broken relationships in your life? John elaborates on this in his epistle, his letter, 1st John, chapter 1, verse 5, “This is the message we have heardContinue reading “How the light of Jesus can help us heal relationships”
The significance of the night being bright as day for God
Advent 2025, Week 3: Psalm 139, Part 4 This guest post is by Molly Stouffer, a ministry student at Regent University. In Psalm 139, verse 12, when David explains that the dark is not too dark for God, it’s because the night is bright as the day. But how? To understand this, think about theContinue reading “The significance of the night being bright as day for God”
Engaging Scripture 