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”
Tag Archives: praise
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”
What parents can learn about worship from youth sports
Advent 2025, Week 1: Psalm 112, Part 1 My wife and I have four children who played a variety of sports through the years. We learned that school athletic departments don’t ask parents for family schedules before arranging the sports calendar. There were sports seasons where we had four kids on four different teams, andContinue reading “What parents can learn about worship from youth sports”
What to do when your heart is filled with fear and pain – David’s heart after God, Part 3
You’re getting old, wrinkly, flabby? Fear not! “Just purchase our wonder cream to help your skin, and you’ll be young again in no time.” You feeling uncertain about finances in the future? Fear not! “Just contact our investment firm, and we will get you ready.” You feeling stressed out by the pressures of life? FearContinue reading “What to do when your heart is filled with fear and pain – David’s heart after God, Part 3”
That time God gave King David FOUR superpowers – 2 Samuel 22, Part 4
Did you know that God gave King David super powers? This week we’re studying 2 Samuel 22, and in the verses we’re looking at today, David is focused on super power. As we observe 2 Samuel 22, our guide is Old Testament scholar David Dorsey. Dorsey notes that 2 Samuel 22 (repeated as Psalm 18)Continue reading “That time God gave King David FOUR superpowers – 2 Samuel 22, Part 4”
One important reason we regularly gather for worship – 2 Samuel 22, Part 3
After decades of drama, war, and turmoil, the great King David of Israel finally has peace. In 2 Samuel 22, he is so happy, and he breaks out in song to God. In today’s post, and the next two, we’ll observe how David crafts his song using chiastic structure (which I introduced in the previousContinue reading “One important reason we regularly gather for worship – 2 Samuel 22, Part 3”
The three songs in Samuel – 2 Samuel 22, Part 1
We’ve been studying the life of David a long time. We started this sermon series in 2024, about eight months ago. The first sermon was about 1st Samuel chapter 1, verse 1, through chapter 2, verse 11. You can read the first post in that series here, or look it up in your Bible. ThatContinue reading “The three songs in Samuel – 2 Samuel 22, Part 1”
The intersection of generosity and gratitude – 2 Samuel 22, Preview
It’s Thanksgiving Week! As I write this, yesterday was Lancaster’s annual Extra Give, a one-day explosion of generosity for over 400 non-profit organizations in our county. I love that the Extra Give is always so close to Thanksgiving, because it seems to me that the two days go hand in hand. When we give, weContinue reading “The intersection of generosity and gratitude – 2 Samuel 22, Preview”
What does it mean to be “undignified” in worship? – 2 Samuel 6, Bonus Post
In 2 Samuel 6, David’s wife, Michal, confronts him, accusing him of “undignified” worship. David responds saying, “I will be even more undignified than this.” What is “undignified” worship? My opinion is that David is not suggesting that wild dancing is the only way to worship God when a group of Christians comes together forContinue reading “What does it mean to be “undignified” in worship? – 2 Samuel 6, Bonus Post”
What cleaning roadkill during Adopt-a-Highway taught me about worship – 2 Samuel 6, Part 5
My church cleans a two mile stretch of our road in our state’s Adopt-A-Highway program. A number of years ago while cleaning, I came across three different roadkill animals on the same day. It was nasty. It was undignified. This week we have been studying David’s wild dancing during a worship procession, about which heContinue reading “What cleaning roadkill during Adopt-a-Highway taught me about worship – 2 Samuel 6, Part 5”
Engaging Scripture 