Your will, not mine
Maundy Thursday. Jesus is betrayed, arrested, beaten. But before that. Before the cross. Before the stone rolled away. Jesus fell to the ground in a garden called Gethsemane and begged: "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me." (Luke 22:42) He's in agony. His sweat is...
Distant Religion or Close Relationship?
Growing up, God was such a distant being in my mind. Although I went to church with my family and even believed that God existed, I didn’t see how he could be part of my life. When I went to college, a friend at work, Cassie, invited me to come with her to an event on OSU campus. I knew...
Flawed, Messy People
Growing up with 10 brothers and sisters had its advantages. One of the better ones is that there was always enough of us around to get a board game or card game going. So we would spend many afternoons and evenings playing all sorts of games. However, as competitive as we were, more often than...
Woe Is Me (and maybe you too?)
Ever read something and thought, “Wow, I know exactly who needs to hear this”? I think it all the time. And as a pastor, I hear it all the time after a sermon: “That was a great sermon, Pastor! I wish my ____________ was here to hear it.” [You fill in the...
Who do you learn from?
I like to think that I am an open person. Specifically, I like to think that I am willing to learn from anyone. Unfortunately, what “I like to think” is not always true. In fact, if I am being honest, many times what “I like to think” is more of a wish than a...
Let's live like we mean something!
David wrote in Psalm 19....The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours out speech and night to night reveals knowledge. Those words are high and lofty words; they carry so much weight! Sometimes when I read those words they...
Move The Line
Hello! Have you ever known a super-Christian before? I’m not being facetious (this time). Seriously, have you ever known someone that was like…a step above most Christians? They aren’t prideful about it. Not “holier-than-thou.” But they just walk in...
Walking
Most mornings I walk my dog. Rain or shine, hot or cold, no matter the weather, I walk my dog for at least 10 minutes, but usually for 30. And 99% of the time, when I take those 30-minute walks, I walk along the same route and have been doing so for 4 or 5 years now. I sometimes think my...
Replaced or Re-placed!
When I first became a true follower of Jesus I was in a church on the OSU campus. I was encouraged to serve, which I was happy to do because I was so excited about my new life in Christ! We were a mobile church, which meant we had to set up everything each week. Someone mentioned that I could...
Feeling The Father's Affirming Embrace - In Christ!
These two quotes, one from Scripture and one not, put forward a wonderful truth about gospel identity. "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with...