Another phone call recently from yet another person informing me that they’re leaving our church to go to another one. It was made abundantly clear to me that there are no issues with our church. God’s just calling them on to this other congregation. I’m totally okay with that. I completely understand. And we are still friends and plan to remain so. I love them. Lisa and I sit and talk about it, completely perplexed. I’m asking God what the... Read more

Yesterday Lisa and I were in a business being helped by a young woman. We really liked her. She had a sweet spirit, was very helpful, kind and engaging. After a while, she noticed on the forms that I was a pastor. She was happy about that and quietly let us know that she was a believer too. She began talking to us about how difficult she found it being a Christian in her work environment. She struggles. She shared... Read more

I’ve been thinking of a woman who came to Jesus for help (Matthew 15: 21-28). Here is someone in trouble. Her daughter is tormented by a demon. But the problem is she is a Gentile, specifically Syrophoenician in origin… a Caananite. This story presents Jesus as somewhat ethnocentric. His world is narrow, focused only on the Jews. His mission appears clear to him: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” He will not help her. “The food... Read more