It has been with shock and horror that we watched the tragedy in Japan unfold the past weekend. And it is not over yet; since the 8.9 earthquake on Friday Japan has been rocked by a further 1,000 aftershocks, they are still under the constant threat of yet another Tsunami and the devastation of a [...]
Shortly before his crucifixion Jesus gave his followers one last commandment: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Sometimes I [...]
Pastors are in the business of transformation – we long for every one we serve to experience God’s presence in their lives. For me the issue is not whether people believe in God, but rather that God matters to them. We can know a lot about God, without ever knowing God’s self. Many people believe [...]
Last time I asked you to read the story of the priest Eli as it is told in the first book of Samuel, chapters 1-4. Typically, pastors will preach on one of two topics from these 4 chapters, either a sermon on how we are called by God (the story of Samuel hearing God’s voice [...]
We are still on the topic of how we as 21st century Christians living in a post-modern world should read Scripture. Last week I explained that the Bible is basically a narrative, a collection of stories that tell God’s story and show how my life story and your life story and other people’s life stories [...]
One of the things that I love about our church is when people in the pew get the opportunity to share their faith stories either from the pulpit or in small group discussion time during the sermon. When I listen to others sharing how they experience God’s providence, how they are touched by Christ’s presence [...]
New Year’s resolutions are in essence about a fresh start. But usually three weeks into the New Year much of our resolve has evaporated. Let’s be honest: change is difficult, it forces us out of our comfort zone; it challenges our priorities; it forces to the surface problems we swept under the rug for years, [...]
Elijah was afraid and he ran for his life – he fled deep into the desert. He could barely suppress the panic that threatened to overwhelm him. So he kept on running, deeper and deeper into the unforgiving barren wilderness. He only stopped when he reached a solitary broom tree. Exhausted, he sought refuge in [...]
It’s January 3, and your New Year’s resolutions are now three days old. How are you doing? Are your resolutions starting to fade? What happened to your resolve on the 1st to improve yourself, to become a better person, to achieve some desired goal? As life returns to business as usual so do our old [...]
One of the Scripture texts that will be read during the advent season in your church is the text of John the Baptist, in which he proclaims the coming of God’s way of life. “Prepare the way,” John calls out, “prepare the way of our God.” John urged his followers to remove all the obstacles [...]