People ask, “why do bad things happen to good people?” But I think a more pressing question is why evil is commonplace today. Already Done, but Not Yet Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection was the knockout blow against sin and death. He rose from the dead, a conquering King, his kingdom secured and proclaimed. But the world did not seem to get the message. Jesus even anticipated this, telling his disciples, “There will be trouble in this world, but this... Read more
I love finding new music, especially if it is unique and creative. Jervis Campbell is an artist I stumbled across earlier this year, and I have not been able to keep his songs out of my daily listening list. Unique and Creative My taste in music is broad. I frequently listen to songs or albums from singer/songwriter to folk, pop, rap, and hard rock. My favorite musicians have unique sounds and creative visions but still make good music. I also... Read more
This is the first entry in the series Books Pastors Should read. The first offering is “I Take My Coffee Black” by Tyler Merritt. The books in the series are books I have read and found to help me think about God, the church, or both. If Only You Knew Tyler writes his book, which opens his life for you to see because he wants you to know who he is. He begins with a story that happened recently in... Read more
I am not a coffee lover. I can’t tell the difference between good coffee and bad coffee. Every coffee tastes bitter and burnt. Yet I have trained my body to consume significant amounts of coffee. One of the perks of my job is free, on-tap coffee within a few steps from my desk. When I thought about something to give up or deny myself during Lent this year, I settled on caffeine. Quitting Coffee Cold Turkey Honestly, I don’t... Read more
Is God a good, good Father? We experience earthly parenting, some of which is good, and some is bad. I want to explore why the Bible talks about God as a parent and what that means for those who follow Jesus. Father Knows Best In my previous post on hope, I explained that our human language fails when discussing God. Our minds are just too small to understand God completely. So when analogies are used in the Bible to explain... Read more
The Bible list joy as one part of the fruit of the Spirit. And while not all joy leads to laughter, you often find laughing where there is joy. And I enjoy laughing, especially at the silly parts of life. Good, clean, and funny entertainment is hard to find today. But one of the best sources of laughter I have discovered over the past year is from comedian Nate Bargatze . Keep It Clean To be clear, Nate is not a... Read more
In a previous post, I wrote about trusting God because He is good. But I want to explore that thought deeper and explain what I mean and why I believe God is good. And because He is good, you can trust Him. Before I say anything else, I want to acknowledge that God is good because that is what God reveals to us. God does not need justification. If He does, He can speak for Himself. Just ask Job! Also,... Read more
Limited Understanding When you read the story of Job in the Bible, you get inside information on what is happening in the story. But we do not get that type of clarity in our own lives. We do not question the circumstances when life is full of success, material blessings, and good health. But we search for understanding when life is hard and filled with suffering and tragedy. Like Job, we want to understand the cosmic math that explains the... Read more
Looking up from the bottom Have you ever found yourself at rock bottom? Elijah, who was feeling abandoned, tried to carry on alone. Independence can be a helpful trait. But God made us with the need to live in a community. One of God’s first recorded thoughts about humankind was that it was not good for Adam to be alone. When we try to conquer the world on our own, we often lose perspective in three critical areas: the physical,... Read more
And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” – Elijah to God. Elijah, God’s Prophet During the Old Testament, the people of God had a massive problem cycling through their sins. They would go from being blessed- to complacency- to sin- to repentance- to being blessed, and so on. During the era when the Israelites had kings, the kingdom generally did as... Read more
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