Sometimes I get overwhelmed by it all. Advertising is everywhere—We listen to advertisements as we pump our gas, watch YouTube videos (unless we’ve paid for Premium), or wait for a movie to start. It’s a dim memory, but I remember going to movies when all I had to sit through were previews of upcoming shows [...]
Vacation season has begun. Many will be heading out to various destinations—cell phones and sunscreen in hand—excited to see and experience new things. Some of us will travel great distances and enter a totally different culture for a few days or weeks; others will take their vacations closer to home. Whether we revisit familiar places [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
Sometimes we just have to do it … address the elephants that make it impossible to navigate a room without bumping into them. The one facing us today is sexual orientation, which includes everything from same sex marriage to gender re-identification. This past month in the U.S we’ve been encouraged to not only accept but [...]
I was old enough to know better when I made a risky decision. I was out with friends and started talking with a guy from another high school who was bowling next to us. By the end of the evening, we were getting along so well that, when he offered to drive me home, I [...]
Adventuring with God 