Last week, some of my good friends lost their eight-year-old grandson. He drowned in the family pool. My heart aches for their excruciating loss. I cannot comprehend the pain they are walking with. And yet as I interact with them, I can hear their Christian hope as they face this tragedy. As I studied for my sermon this week I was struck by the following Scripture.     The Apostle Paul writes...

    When we think of quiet, different images come to mind. For the young parent it’s when the children are down for a nap. For me it is when I get a day off to slow down and reflect. What does the Apostle Paul mean when he says in 1 Thessalonians 4:11 “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you.”    Personally, in a c...

 Unfortunately, as a minister I deal with death often. Death is something most people try not to think about. It is the ominous event that awaits all of humanity. However, for the Christian it has a very different connotation. In contrast to most of the world, as a Christian I look forward to the new heavens and the new earth. Christians view death not as something to fear but as a transition, eve...

THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUSA question I like to ask Christians is “How has Jesus been good news in your life?” Honestly some of the answers bring tears to my eyes. Usually, the first answer is that he paid for my sins. He made it so that I, a sinner, can be in a relationship with our Holy Creator. In Ephesians 1:7 the Apostle Paul writes, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of...

The Apostle Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The immediate context proceeding this Scripture is the notion that we are no longer to live for ourselves, rather we are called to live for Jesus. Immediately following this text is a call to a ministry of reconciliation. This Scripture gives me great ho...