Jesus, our Lord, who died and rose again, is now sitting on His throne of glory—the highest place in heaven. Angels, elders, and living creatures encircle His throne, shouting “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise” (Rev. 5:12). Yet, we [...]
The cross of Jesus Christ is a deep and profound mystery beyond our limited human understanding. It’s what C. S. Lewis called “the Deep Magic” in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. We glibly talk about substitutionary atonement, but none of us fully grasps its meaning or significance. So I enter into this topic [...]
Sometimes we think our culture is particularly wicked and beyond God’s reach. We begin to imagine life without the influence of the Gospel and wonder: What will guide and inspire the generations that come after us if it vanishes from sight? But a cursory look at history will reassure us that "when the enemy comes [...]
Growing up I had an awesome older brother. He was five years older than me. To be sure, he wasn’t very pleased to share his home with a sibling at first. Rumor has it that he tried to trade me to my grandma for a cat when I was born. But as we grew up, [...]
It’s a rather complicated process, the way we perceive shapes and colors around us and make sense of our world. But God’s design for sight is perfect … as long as all the elements are working as they should. Light enters our eyes through the cornea, the clear outer layer, which bends it as it [...]
In 1946 (the year I was born) a movie was produced that would become a holiday favorite. The enduring popularity of It’s a Wonderful Life is not just its actors and script. The movie makes us ponder some of the great mysteries of being human. It asks such important questions as: How do we assess [...]
When you were a kid, how did you celebrate Thanksgiving? In my elementary school (back in the 50s) we always rehearsed the story of how the Pilgrims and Indians came together to share a meal of wild turkey and locally grown crops on the first Thanksgiving Day. My teachers emphasized that the Pilgrims had barely [...]
In this day of increasing persecution towards Christians worldwide, it’s important to know how to fight our adversaries in the right spirit. In Matthew 10 Jesus sends out His followers to share the Gospel with their fellow Israelites. He makes it clear what they are to do in His name—proclaim that the kingdom of heaven [...]
Last month we looked at the essentials of our faith that unite us with Jesus Christ and all those who belong to Him. Christ’s body, His universal Church, has never been divided, of course. One day all the members of His body will be reunited around Him. But in this in-between stage that we call [...]
Part One: August 2022 We’ve all heard the saying, usually expressed as a question: “Is this a hill to die on?” Here’s the definition of this phrase I like best: “An issue to pursue with wholehearted conviction and/or single-minded focus, with little or no regard to the cost.” Often, we use it in a military [...]
Adventuring with God 