“Crucify!” I heard myself shouting along with the crowd. We stood before the governor’s palace as he presented this man, Jesus, to the sea of accusers. I didn’t know what exactly he had done, but I knew that he had caused a great uproar with the people. As Pilate washed his hands a shout rose […]
The Church and the World
In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul addresses a rather sensitive and oft-avoided topic in the church. In this chapter, he discusses the issues of immorality in the church, excommunication, and the difference between those in the church and those outside of it. Let’s read the beginning of the chapter and dive into its meaning: “It is […]
The Mexico Trip
Last week, I took a short trip to Fishers of Men Mexico south of Mexico City. Some of you may remember that my family took a trip down there four years ago in June of 2014 to serve at the Refuge Ranch. This year was a little different. This year, we went down for a […]
The “Good” People
The Story of Hosea
Hosea is a book full of rebellion, redemption, destruction, and healing. Throughout the entire fourteen chapters we see parallels from Hosea’s marriage to the adulterer Gomer to the relationship between God and His chosen people. At the very beginning, we see God do something very strange. Instead of simply commanding Hosea to deliver a message […]
A Haiti Update
As I sit down to write this I still don’t know exactly what to say. I suppose I’ll start with an explanation of what is happening, and we’ll go from there. At the end of January, I will be going on a mission trip to Haiti again. I can’t wait to finally go down there again! […]
Living and Surviving
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” – Jim Elliot Probably the most famous quote by the late missionary Jim Elliot, it is the polar opposite of what we are taught nearly everywhere else but the Bible. We care a whole lot more about safety and […]
Ordinary Folk
“Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay… small acts of kindness and love.” – Gandalf Ah Gandalf, wizard of Middle Earth, lover of Hobbits, […]
Focus on Heaven
Heaven is that far off place in the sky that we all imagine in our heads, with angels, white horses, and all our best friends. We’ll all get there eventually, but for now, let’s all just forget about it and get on with our lives. Or, maybe not. Forget all of the stuff in the […]
The Divided Church
Have you ever noticed how many labels we have? I’m talking just in the Christian community, not even the world at large. To start off, we have all the denominations. From Baptists to Lutherans, Methodists to Presbyterians, we’ve split ourselves up in to so many sections its difficult to remember what they all mean. Then, […]