Lenten Reflection #11: Jesus Prays “Yet He often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16, HCSB) Jesus made it a habit to pray. He prayed to pay attention to God and follow what God wanted Him to do. Jesus, even as the Son of God – who one would think had a direct line to God, had to take time to pray. Prayer was Jesus’ method of communication with His Father. There was no other way... Read more
Lenten Reflection #10: Jesus Saves “She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”” (Matthew 1:21, HCSB) Jesus, from the Hebrew word “Yeshua” means God is salvation. In the Bible, the name of a person defines their destiny. While Joseph may have considered another name, the angel told Joseph that the child should be named Jesus. The reasons is because Jesus will save people from their... Read more
Lenten Reflection #9: Jesus Tears “For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility…,” (Ephesians 2:14, HCSB) In order to build better relationships, I need Christ to help me tear down my walls. Jesus is in the business of tearing down walls. It is easy for me to build a wall around myself. I am also the only one who can tear down the walls I put up around people.... Read more
Living the Questions by David M. Felton and Jeff Proctor-Murphy Living the Questions is virtually a manifesto of Progressive Christianity. This book is brought to you by the same people who made Living the Questions: Saving Jesus Redux DVD. Sometimes the movie is better than the book. In this case, the reverse is true. I reviewed the DVD, and I have to say that I thought the book was much better. No, I don’t agree with all of... Read more
Lenten Reflection #8: Jesus Teaches “He would speak the word to them with many parables like these, as they were able to understand.” (Mark 4:33, HCSB) When Jesus teaches, you can easily understand. He used a method of teaching called parables. A parable was an earthly story with a spiritual meaning (in its most basic definition). In other words, Jesus taught so that the people would understand. He even criticized the disciples one time because they did not understand.... Read more
1 Peter 1:22-2:10 Church Screenshots Church Screenshot #1: We are children of the same family (1:22-2:3) We have experienced the same birth “since you have been born again —not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God. For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was... Read more
Lenten Reflection #6: Jesus Sleeps “Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But He was sleeping.” (Matthew 8:24, HCSB) It must not be a problem if Jesus can sleep through it. I am not surprised by the storm around the boat. I am not surprised that Jesus can sleep during the storm. I am just impressed that Jesus can sleep through the storm in an open boat. However, Jesus... Read more
Exodus 17:1-7 Be a God-Follower Not a Grumbler As a Christian, you can follow God forward, or you can grumble your way backwards. There are two groups of people here in this passage, and they also reflect two different groups of people who are in the church: GROUP 1: The God-Followers We begin Exodus 17 in the wilderness desert all in unity. The people (“entire Israelite community”) moved from one place to another “according to the Lord’s command.” So things... Read more
Lenten Reflection #7: Jesus Sickened “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15–16, HCSB) I have been sick for the past week with a cold. I wondered if Jesus ever was sick when He was on Earth. It seems that the only place where it shows Jesus... Read more
1 Peter 1:13-21 Living Hope STAYING CLEAN IN A POLLUTED WORLD Keep my mind focused on the Glory of God (1:13) “Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13, HCSB) In today’s world, it is easy to get our minds off-track. We are called to keep our minds focused. The glory of God will soon be revealed... Read more
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