When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 It always amazes me to consider the kinds of people Jesus chose to be the apostles of the early church. With the exception of Paul, they were mostly fishermen- blue collar, never graduated from high school, stubborn, hard living, low wage laborers- quite literally the salt of…
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 3:2-3 Whitewater rafting is definitely a team sport. Three years ago I had my first experience whitewater rafting. It’s not that I’m adverse to extreme sports or anything. I enjoy a challenge as much as the next guy and have done some dangerous stuff in my day, just never rafting. A…
… know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:3-4 “Are you asleep?” It’s the universal question that every married man hears after being awakened out of a sound sleep by the tossing, turning and deep sighs of a sleep deprived and slightly cranky wife. “I was…” I say, as I sluggishly take my mind out of ‘park’ and slowly shift it into…
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another– and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25 Several months ago I was taking a doctoral level class at Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, PA. My professor was Dr. Ed Stetzer, the head of LifeWay Research- the cutting edge research and development arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. It was he (and his team) that…
I got another email update from Steve/Pam this morning. It’s amazing how much I look forward to these little tidbits of information from their trip. I hope you all are enjoying reading about the trip, them, and Katelyn too! It’s always helpful to know how to pray too. They flew from Shanghai to Guangzhou on Friday. They were told that while Shanghai is 800 years old, the city of Guangzhou is well over 2000 years old!! On Sunday they were…
Dear Prayer Team, Family and Friends, I often look back at the birth of our biological children as being particularly miraculous days. True, every day is a miracle, a gift from God and evidence of his manifold grace, but at the birth of a child it seems like God laughs out loud. He bends low and kisses the earth. He the Author of Life, and a Loving Artist splashes the canvass of that day with the bright colors of anticipation,…
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 There’s something nice about new beginnings. Remember starting a new school year in elementary school? Everything felt so fresh and clean. I had new notebooks, new pencils (number 2, freshly sharpened), new tennis shoes and a new teacher. There was a new locker combination…
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in a manger. Luke 2:15-16 Years ago when I was in Pennsylvania the Philadelphia Eagles made the playoffs. (Hang with me now, all of you Redskins fans, I know you can’t relate…
In many ways, the Christmas story shouts out loud the presence of God. From two miraculous pregnancies (John the Baptist and Jesus) to angelic choirs; from Divine visitations to the mysterious Magi with royal gifts, God’s power is on open display. And yet, even in the Advent, there is a certain restraint. After all, Jesus was born through a peasant woman in Bethlehem, he didn’t walk down a giant heavenly staircase in Rome. And while there was a generous smattering of…
Matthew 24:12 [At the end of the age]… the love of many will grow cold. On Monday my son Josh and I sat together in the woods of Northern Pennsylvania hunting about a 1/2 mile south of the New York state border. It was early morning, dark and cold well before the sun was up. Wind gusts were driving a fine powdered snow in our faces. The sleety flakes were rushing down out of the sky and bouncing off our…