For the past century, since the period of the enlightenment, the world has drifted away from Truth in the public sphere. By “Truth” I mean absolute truth. Biblical truth. (That’s the only truth there is.) Lately, it seems that this drift has accelerated. At the same time, that absence has left a vacuum. As it
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With the coming of Covid came a new dilemma for Christians in the Western world: risk. How do I factor risk into my faith? Common sense says risk is best approached with a cost/benefit analysis. Businesses do this all the time. The insurance industry is built on such. When it comes to looking for Biblical
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At the beginning of every year I try and give a “state of the church” letter. Like every politician I’m tempted to paint a rosy picture and pretend painful realities don’t exist. And there is some justification for painting a rosy picture, which stems from the fact that our future is rosy. We know that
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March 2nd – 31st When the apostle Paul was preaching about Jesus in the Greek city of Corinth in the first century he faced a great degree of persecution and threats. One night in a vision the Lord said to him, Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for
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The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. Proverbs 14:27 The wisdom literature in the Bible is replete with references to the fear of the Lord. Here it is the fountain of life. In other passages it is the beginning of wisdom and
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Christmas reminds us that even before Jesus’ birth, his mission was clear. He would bring redemption to a lost world. Every aspect of Jesus’ life was built on this mission—from his birth, marked by the signs in the heavens, to his death and the darkened skies. Even at 12 years old he was about his
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One of the things the world is feeling is division. We feel the increasing pressure to divide by politics, by the pandemic and its protocals, and by a plethora of ideologies. In such a world the tension is palpable and emotionally exhausting. That’s the harsh reality in which we live. But the good news is
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With the onset of the pandemic, many businesses changed their business practices. What was once done in person now became acceptable, and often preferred, via zoom. It saved on travel, expense, and time. Churches followed suit, streaming their worship services over youtube or facebook. While most people would recognize there are lost elements to such
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Years ago we had a young woman in our church very gifted on the piano. At the time, we were in great need for musicians in worship and so I asked her if she would play. Most of the time I asked, however, she declined because of the stressful memories she had from performing on
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In my morning psalter I chanted these words, Nourish the Church at the banquet of your Word and Bread, strengthened by this food may she follow you in joy. Mundelein Psalter As much as I try to emphasize the importance of regular worship, this was nice to read. It helps as we reshape our view
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