A battle of wills provides the drama in this morning’s Scripture lesson from the New Testament book of Acts. The apostle Paul has just returned from a busy mission trip on which he founded dozens of churches across the biblical world, and Paul is eager to hit the road again to check in with hisContinue reading “When the Way Is Blocked”
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Who Fixed the Roof?
When Mark is your Gospel pilot, best you buckle your seat belts tight. For he takes off into the story of God with us on a short runway, and it’s wheels-up before you know it. As we’ll hear shortly, Mark at the start is a man of few words. He wastes no time launching usContinue reading “Who Fixed the Roof?”
His Name is Key of David
A high-school chum somehow or other landed an after-school job as a custodian at our school. Now, it goes without saying that his part-time gig came with some very unpleasant duties, mostly involving lunchrooms, bathrooms, and locker rooms. But the job did come with what I thought were some very cool perks – like havingContinue reading “His Name is Key of David”
A Little Guilt Might Be Good
It’s your lucky day, folks! You’re going to hear not one but two sermons this morning! Mine, of course, will come later, but the first comes in our Scripture lesson through the Old Testament voice of Samuel, the last of the great judges and the first of the great prophets. As we learned last Sunday,Continue reading “A Little Guilt Might Be Good”
Even in a Broken World
Our journey to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus begins this first Sunday of Advent with the Gospel of Luke and the story of a faithful, long-serving priest named Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth. For years, Zechariah prays anxiously for the birth of a son only to get back what he hears as a great-bigContinue reading “Even in a Broken World”
Thirsty for God
Last week found me living the bachelor life. My wife and sons were out at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake to attend Synod School, the annual educational and fellowship gathering of Midwest Presbyterians. Alone at home, I felt no need to prepare any meals from scratch. The refrigerator held scads of leftovers, so IContinue reading “Thirsty for God”
Every Which Way But Loose
Pound for pound, this morning’s Scripture lesson from the Gospel of Mark packs quite the punch. This strange story of a man who daily lives with the unraveling of his mind easily ranks right up there with the most bizarre stories in the Bible. A man named Legion is labeled demonical, and the town residentsContinue reading “Every Which Way But Loose”
Labor Day 2020: Do You Want My Job?
May you lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. ~ Colossians 1:10 COVID-19 mostly has brought bane, but for those with eyes to see, the pandemic has not been without blessing. Early on in ourContinue reading “Labor Day 2020: Do You Want My Job?”
Broken Dreams
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down;Yeah, we wept, when we remembered Zion.There the wicked carried us away in captivity,Required from us a song.Now how shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?– Boney M, Rivers of Babylon Indeed, how do we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? TheContinue reading “Broken Dreams”
A Bedtime Story
Everyone loves a good conversion story. That’s why you always end up perched on the edge of your seat whenever someone tells an inspiring tale of living a smoldering train wreck of a life, but then one day “finding Jesus” and rising from the ashes in triumphant victory over the mortal sins of a sordidContinue reading “A Bedtime Story”