Recently I got a notice that a person wanted to send a message to the church through our Instagram account’s messaging system. I’m always a bit suspicious about requests from random people, but the message had me curious. The person asked, “Can I ask a biblical question here?” Yes. Yes, you can! They asked aContinue reading “Why we need to evaluate our longings – Colossians 3:1-4, Part 2”
Tag Archives: bible
How to evaluate the headlines – Colossians 3:1-4, Part 1
It has been quite a week in our country. The trial of Derek Chauvin. Police shootings of people of color. Racial protests. Mass shootings. A removal of our troops from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years. And of course…Covid. On the one hand, more and more people are getting the Covid vaccines, while on the otherContinue reading “How to evaluate the headlines – Colossians 3:1-4, Part 1”
Autostereograms and learning to focus on God – Colossians 3:1-4, Preview
Have you heard of autostereograms? If you are a child or teen of the 1990s, you are likely quite familiar with autostereograms, but maybe you don’t know them by that name. Let’s see if you recognize them when I give you the name of the most famous commercialized version of autostereograms: Magic Eye pictures. Now do youContinue reading “Autostereograms and learning to focus on God – Colossians 3:1-4, Preview”
Why I believe Jesus’ resurrection is not only true, but matters – Easter 2021, Part 5
So is the resurrection truly true? If you want a scientific answer, with insurmountable proof, I’m sorry but I’m not able to give that. I hope you heard in the previous post some strong evidence for the truth of Jesus’ resurrection. People who had very good reason to kill the Christian movement only had toContinue reading “Why I believe Jesus’ resurrection is not only true, but matters – Easter 2021, Part 5”
What my peach tree teaches me about resurrection – Easter 2021, Part 3
I’m writing this in early spring, when I am starting to see the beginning of buds growing on the peach tree in my yard. Maybe you have fruit trees, and you’ve seen this growth process underway. As the buds eventually flower, the tiny fruit will begin to grow. Frequently, some fruit ripens early and weContinue reading “What my peach tree teaches me about resurrection – Easter 2021, Part 3”
Does Christianity really need Jesus to rise from the dead? – Easter 2021, Part 2
Does Christianity really need Jesus to rise from the dead? Maybe it would be okay to just worship and follow the teachings of Jesus? He was a really awesome guy, resurrection or not. If Christianity doesn’t actually need a risen Jesus, that could potentially help many people who simply cannot believe in miracles. Thomas JeffersonContinue reading “Does Christianity really need Jesus to rise from the dead? – Easter 2021, Part 2”
How rules can pollute your practice of following Jesus and what to do about it – Colossians 2:16-23, Part 5
Have you ever been in a workplace or school or volunteer group that has a rule in place, and a newcomer asks, “Why do you have that rule?” and you honestly can’t remember? You’ve been following the rule for so long that you’ve forgotten why it was imposed in the first place! It was wiseContinue reading “How rules can pollute your practice of following Jesus and what to do about it – Colossians 2:16-23, Part 5”
Christians should never ______ – Colossians 2:16-23, Part 4
How would you fill in the blank in the title? Christians should never ____? What I’m getting at is rules and regulations that Christians have come up with over the years. Of course we could make a blanket statement like “Christians should never sin.” We all agree about that. But actually listing examples of sinContinue reading “Christians should never ______ – Colossians 2:16-23, Part 4”
How rules are a shadow and Jesus is the real thing – Colossians 2:16-23, Part 3
This week we have been studying Colossians 2:16-23, in which Paul writes that Christians should not be judged based on following the wrong set of rules. Look at Colossians 2 verse 17 to see how he describes these rules: they are a shadow of the things that were to come, but the reality is foundContinue reading “How rules are a shadow and Jesus is the real thing – Colossians 2:16-23, Part 3”
Don’t Judge Me! (Is it always wrong to evaluate other people?) – Colossians 2:16-23, Part 2
“Judge not lest you be judged.” Jesus said that. As a result, is it possible that judging has gotten a bad rap? What did Jesus mean? That we should never, ever form judgments about people? Is that even possible? Keep reading as we’ll seek to learn about this from what the Apostle Paul wrote inContinue reading “Don’t Judge Me! (Is it always wrong to evaluate other people?) – Colossians 2:16-23, Part 2”
Engaging Scripture 