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”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
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”
What’s It Going to Take?
Up until now, over the past few weeks, in our sharing of Bible stories that speak to God’s presence when human plans fall apart, God has been the One doing the unraveling. For always-good divine purposes, God has been the One tugging at loose threads in the fabric our lives and reweaving those stands intoContinue reading “What’s It Going to Take?”
Unraveled Salvation
When you mention the biblical name Zacchaeus, three descriptors of the character in Luke’s Gospel usually spring to mind: First, Zacchaeus is short – “a wee little man was he.” Second, he’s good at climbing trees – sycamores in particular. And third, nobody likes him. Most people neither welcome Zacchaeus nor want anything to doContinue reading “Unraveled Salvation”
Can You See Her?
God speaks to us this morning through an obscure Old Testament story of revenge and retribution. As the curtain rises on chapter 21 of 2 Samuel, the hunger pains of a three-year famine stir King David to ask God why there’s no food on the table. According to the Lord, the grain bins are empty,Continue reading “Can You See Her?”
Step Into the Swell
When I was picking out Bible stories for this sermon series on the unraveling of our lives, I was torn over whether to include this morning’s lesson. It’s the story of Jesus successfully walking on water and Peter’s failed attempt to follow in Jesus’s watery footsteps. On one hand, the story works well. Getting caughtContinue reading “Step Into the Swell”
Sarah Laughs
What happens when it feels like your world has come unglued and is falling apart? How do you press onward when your tightly knit plans unravel into a tangle of loose threads? What do you become when your identity feels threatened with undoing or the path you’re walking comes dangerously undone? Those questions weigh heavyContinue reading “Sarah Laughs”