Ephesians 1:15–23, Preview Have you ever thought to yourself that some people seem to be really good at praying? When we think that other people are good at praying, perhaps we feel that way because we don’t believe we are good at praying. Especially praying out loud in front of other people. Praying out loudContinue reading “How to improve at prayer”
Tag Archives: christianity
How ethnic segregation in the church is out of line with the Gospel
Ephesians 1:3–14, Part 5 In Paul’s day, there was a major division in the church: Jew and Gentile. It was an ethnic problem, based primarily in the Jews’ exclusive view of their covenant with God. They thought they were special in God’s eyes, and the other peoples of the world were pagan, unclean, and thus thereContinue reading “How ethnic segregation in the church is out of line with the Gospel”
Hearing “Nein!” at an exclusive dance club versus hearing God say “Yes!”
Ephesians 1:3–14, Part 4 Have you heard of Berghain, the exclusive dance club in Berlin? I learned about it on this podcast. It is nearly impossible to get in, and the club doesn’t explain why. People line up waiting for hours, hoping to be admitted. Finally, they make it to the door, and the headContinue reading “Hearing “Nein!” at an exclusive dance club versus hearing God say “Yes!””
Who and how God chooses
Ephesians 1:3–14, Part 3 Whether you are the kid at recess who gets chosen last for the kickball team, or whether you are the adult who doesn’t get chosen for a promotion, a job, a contest, it can be very difficult emotionally when we are not chosen. When I submitted book proposals, I experienced theContinue reading “Who and how God chooses”
We know where the heavenly realms are
Ephesians 1:3–14, Part 2 After a greeting, Paul begins his letter titled “Ephesians” with a grand eulogy of God. As I noted in the previous post, while we give eulogies praising people who have passed away, Paul’s eulogy praises God who is very much alive. After saying, “Praise God,” Paul lists numerous reasons why heContinue reading “We know where the heavenly realms are”
A surprising eulogy for God
Ephesians 1:3–14, Part 1 Here’s some insider pastoral info for you: when we counsel the family of the deceased, and when we officiate their funerals, we pastors sometimes straight up lie, talking about how great they were and how for sure they are in heaven. In reality pastors do not know that for a fact,Continue reading “A surprising eulogy for God”
It was 57 degrees in our house, and I was…
Ephesians 1:3–14, Preview As I type this, I’m sitting on the sofa in my living room. It’s 11:30am Friday morning. Why am I not sitting in my office? Normally I would be. I’m at home because this morning we woke up to the feeling of cold air inside our house. Nothing was wrong. Last nightContinue reading “It was 57 degrees in our house, and I was…”
A profoundly important description of church
Ephesians intro, part 5 A close friend from church and I work out on Tuesday and Thursday mornings with another guy. Recently that other guy, who is not part of our church, told us that he was reading the Bible over the weekend and thought the passage he was reading sounded like our church. I perkedContinue reading “A profoundly important description of church”
When mail arrived, they threw a party
Ephesians intro, part 4 We are so used to snail mail being a mundane affair. Mostly we get junk mail anymore. If it even hints of being junk, I usually just toss it straight into the garbage. Our meaningful communication in 2026 is now pretty much all online, accessible through our devices. The reality ofContinue reading “When mail arrived, they threw a party”
The healing energy of grace
Ephesians intro, Part 3 Paul’s greeting in his letter titled “Ephesians” uses two words that he starts 13 of 13 letters with. These are two exceedingly important concepts for Christians. We read the two words of this greeting in Ephesians 1, verse 2. “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the LordContinue reading “The healing energy of grace”
Engaging Scripture 