“For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.” (Proverbs 26:20, ESV) I suspect all of us have felt this. Something happens. Within a few hours the same people are angry about the same thing in nearly the same words, and you can guess who will say what before... Continue Reading →
A Compliment Is Not a Confession
Matthew 16.13-20 There is a way to be near Jesus for years without ever answering the question he actually asks. You can grow up in the building. You can know the songs by heart and know roughly where the passages are. You can hold a set of opinions about Jesus that you inherited from your... Continue Reading →
Day and Day
The technician turns the monitor toward you, and there it is. Your own spine, the curve of it, the wear at the joints, the places where the years have pressed down. Nothing is hidden. “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4.16). Paul essentially validates... Continue Reading →
The One Thing You Are Counting On
Rich but Foolish. A reading of Luke 12.13-21. “Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness,... Continue Reading →
The Race Begins at Rest
You know the kind of tired that sleep does not touch. You wake already behind. The list resets. The effort never seems to close the gap between who you are and who you think you should be. Into that weariness, Scripture speaks two words that sound like rivals. Two verses seem to pull in opposite... Continue Reading →