In a world full of social and political division, we are not called to take sides and thus be part of the division. Easter Preparation season reminds us we are called to be centered in Jesus and to point others to him. The Easter Preparation message is simple—Jesus saves. Social justice doesn’t save, political affiliation … Continue reading "An Easter Preparation Challenge" Read the article
Jesus, having returned from the 40 days of temptation in the desert and beginning his public ministry, enters a synagogue and is handed a scroll of the prophecies of Isaiah. He unrolls the scroll and reads these powerful words, which is part of Isaiah’s prophecy about himself. The Spirit of the Lord is on me, … Continue reading "Faith Forward" Read the article
The birth of a child is not only exciting, it changes everything. I’ll never forget the excitement that filled our home as we anticipated the birth of our daughter. We decorated her room, we bought furniture, a car seat, clothes and all the items needed to take care of a newborn. We talked and talked … Continue reading "A New Birth" Read the article
November marks the end of one worship year with Christ the King Sunday, and the beginning of another worship year with Advent. The title of this article is a play on words. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end—and this month gives us the opportunity to celebrate with the end and … Continue reading "The Omega and the Alpha" Read the article
We often talk of sharing the life and love of Jesus, but we are also called to share that he is the light of the world. The three seasons (cycles) of the GCI Worship Calendar help us focus on his light, his life and his love. History was not my favorite subject in high school. … Continue reading "His Light, His Life, His Love" Read the article
“…We will serve the Lord.” This quote from Joshua 24:15 is only part of Joshua’s admonition to stay focused on who God is. As a young student of the Bible, I could not understand how Israel could get caught up worshipping other gods. I’d seen pictures of Baal, Dagon, Asherah, Moloch and others and wondered … Continue reading "“As for Me and My House…”" Read the article
In the GCI Worship calendar, we are now under what is called “Ordinary Time”—the time between Pentecost and Christ the King Sunday. It’s a time that celebrates the mystery of the church and the mystery of Christ living in us. The word ordinary can sound boring, simple, and non-energetic, yet most of our days would … Continue reading "Ordinary Time?" Read the article
I asked Charles Taylor, GCI Pastor in Miramar, Florida, to take this column and share notes from a sermon he gave on racial injustice. The point of his sermon was that in the midst of the real suffering and deep pain of racial injustice, we hold to the truth that God is real and he … Continue reading "Know Justice Know Peace — Know Jesus Know Peace" Read the article
Many sincere questions have been asked by Christians during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Have we failed to trust God to protect us?” “Didn’t Jesus promise the gates of hell would not prevail against his church?” “Why did we allow government to shut our church down?” “Aren’t we going overboard with safety concerns—requiring masks and gloves, and … Continue reading "“Where is Your Faith?”" Read the article
The pandemic gives us unique and imaginative ways of sharing God’s love and life with others. You ever notice how often things don’t go exactly as you planned? Along with that, certain life events seem to come at “the worst time”—at least from our perspective. My daughter was pregnant with our 2nd grandchild when she … Continue reading "A Church Deployed" Read the article
