Remember the moment on “Little House on the Prairie” when Mary goes blind? Drawing a parallel with the story in Numbers 21 and emphasizing the importance of looking at God with the eyes of faith, Jeremy urges a deeper, all-senses kind of seeing to live faithfully. … More Blind, Now I See
With historical imagination and pastoral sensitivity, my new short story probes the inner turmoil of one of history’s most tragic figures: Judas Iscariot. What drew him to Jesus? What led to his infamous betrayal? Most importantly, does his death by suicide place him outside of God’s grace or more directly in his embrace? Find out Sunday at 5pm! … More Love Cut the Rope: The Tragic Tale of Judas
The most important interpretive decision I ever made was to let Jesus be God’s definitive and final Word. He is my north star. He is my hermeneutic. Echoing C. S. Lewis, Jesus guides my reading of Scripture not only because I see Jesus in the text, but because by Jesus I have come to see everything else in a new light. … More Gold, Honey & Jesus
My new short story tells the story of Paul’s shipwreck in Acts 27, imagining Paul, a lone Jew on a ship of superstitious pagans, each telling stories from their sacred texts. As the storm outside grows more perilous, and the shipmates begin to panic, Paul remains calm and brings spiritual leadership to these doomed “souls in chains.” … More New Book Debut this Sunday
This exposition of 1 Peter 3:18-22 emphasizes a spiritual battle between good and evil forces, urging Christians to be aware of this cosmic struggle. It highlights the role of Jesus in overcoming evil and calls for believers to resist being manipulated by worldly powers. The text also stresses the importance of having a clear conscience before God, rather than pursuing selfish desires or political victories. … More An Appeal for a Clear Conscience
Our tour bus pulled into the parking lot and joined other groups from around the world. Were we souls on pilgrimage or shoppers on holiday? We were at the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized and we could be too – if we could find our way through the gift shops, concession stands, and observation decks to the river below. … More Tour Buses in the Jordan Wilderness
Imagine returning home from a night out when traffic suddenly halts. Your eyes are drawn upward to a magic door descending from the heavens, suspended over the city. The mayor and fire department scratch their heads as crowds slowly gather. Soon the entire city is gathered around that mysterious door. It’s cracked a bit, and strange light is piercing the cool evening air. … More Magic Doors & Open Houses
The ‘gospel’ many have been taught has drifted from Jesus’ original message. Weighed down by a hyper-individualism, we’ve bought a neat little salvation package whereby sinners bow their heads, pray a prayer, pull the grace lever and a bookkeeping angel with big-rimmed glasses moves your name from the Damned column to the Saved column in Heaven’s database. … More The Time is Fulfilled! Change Your Thinkin’!
The week between Christmas and New Year’s gets many in the counting mood. Counting how many gifts we need to return. Counting how little money is left in the checking account. Counting how many cookie calories we’ve consumed. Counting how many pounds we need to shed when we hit the gym in the New Year. But it turns out that what we choose to count may tell you a lot about what we value. … More Counting on Christmas
Why is the world so messed up? Where is God in all of this? What role, if any, do Satan, angels and demons play in all this? How do we face evil and suffering in a Christ-centered way? Join us for a 6-week course on “God, Evil, & Spiritual Warfare” kicking off this Sunday! … More 6-Week Course: God, Evil, & Spiritual Warfare
God’s Word to us doesn’t always have shiny wrapping and a big red bow attached. God’s Word isn’t always warm and fuzzy. God’s Word sometimes needs to hit us like a ton of bricks. When we open our Bibles we stumble into an old library full of stories of holy confrontations and sacred summons. … More The Word is Dynamite
Here’s a much needed rebuke of the erroneous charge that Christians like me who are advocating for biblical justice have somehow gone liberal or “gotten woke.” Mike Bird is a respectable biblical scholar. By Mike Bird: In my mind, acknowledging the reality of racism, discrimination, and injustice – whether historical, cultural, institutional – and determining … More War on Wokeness & Evangelical Whoring
In the age of Trump, Christian leaders and committed followers of Jesus know deep in their bones that a kind of “melting” needs to take place if the message and mission of the gospel is to bear fresh fruit in a culture where so much is rotten. … More Beyond the Melting Pot
Throughout history, Dr. Eddy argues, there have been three marriage models that have evolved with society: traditional marriage, romantic marriage, and consumer marriage. But which of these models is the right one for a Christian marriage? None of them, answers Eddy.
… More Kingdom Sex & the Covenant of Marriage
This week I am teaching on the nature of the Bible — authority, inspiration, infallibility, etc. — in my Christian Theology class at Solid Rock Discipleship School. I dug up this post from 2011 I wanted to share again as we begin a New Year. In the October 2011 issue of Christianity Today, J. Todd … More On Reading Scripture
by Skye Jethani Jean Vanier, the founder of the L’Arche communities who died just a few weeks ago, often used a simple metaphor to explain his ministry with the mentally handicapped. With his hands cupped he would say, “Suppose I have a wounded bird in my hands. What would happen if I closed my hands … More The Space for Growth (Skye Jethani)
In this series of posts we’re exploring the different ways the Bible confronts the reader and the appropriate response to each. #5 – THE BIBLE AS GOD’S PRACTICAL GUIDEBOOK FOR LIFE The most popular approach to Scripture in modern-day America is to search it for practical principles for daily living. The Bible is God’s “Handbook … More THE BIBLE: Guidebook for Life
I want to repost a series exploring the many different ways God speaks to us through the Scriptures. #1 – THE BIBLE AS DIVINE ENCOUNTER There is a significance difference between examining God’s written Word on the one hand and having a personal encounter with the Living God through our reading of His Word on … More THE BIBLE: Divine Encounter
This is an article by Greg Boyd that piggybacks on my sermon from Sunday on 1 Corinthians 6:12-20. By Greg Boyd | 09 Jan 2008 Today in western culture people tend to have a rather “recreational” view of sex. It’s just a pleasurable physical activity we engage in. Even people who don’t consciously believe this … More What’s the Big Deal about Sex?
Most people don’t read the Bible at all. Some Christians read them a bit, trying to apply a “daily verse” to their life somehow. Few experience what you might call “inhabiting Scripture” — entering into the text, plumbing its depths, making your home in a particular scripture long enough to know your way around it … More LIFE VERSES 1: Intro
We’re honoring the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation at MainStreet this month by exploring some of the key figures. Last week we focused on Luther, and I preached a portion of a Luther sermon. This week we’re meeting John Calvin! I can’t think of a better place to turn to learn about John Calvin and … More John Calvin the Preacher
How does one approach reading and interpreting the strange, other-worldly Book of Revelation? Here’s a short introduction and overview of the four main approaches often used. INTRODUCTION Interpreting Revelation and other apocalyptic literature, like any specific genre, demands its own set of prescribed rules. Yet, when we approach the task of shedding light on the mysterious … More Apocalyptic Literature: 4 Views
I found this invitation to pursue WISDOM in our relationships as very timely in light of our current national situation. I hope to do a sermon series on Biblical Wisdom very soon! Henderson’s new book on this is called The Prayer the God Loves to Answer: Accessing Christ’s Wisdom to Address Your Greatest Needs. Enjoy! -JB We’ve … More Wisdom That Revolutionizes Relationships (Daniel Henderson)
The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course of Idaho is the proud home of the world’s first floating green — an intimidating target with water on all sides. But remember, “everything breaks towards the water.” Ka-plunk! Splash! Ever have one of those rounds where it seems as though if there’s water to be found, your ball … More GOLF & GOD (5): Water Hazards
SIGNS, SIGNS, EVERYWHERE THERE’S SIGNS “They’re not just for decoration.” That’s what I tell my beginning drivers as they nervously drive down the road with tunnel vision, never reading the myriad of signs lining the roadside. Signs warn us of potential hazards ahead. They inform us of services up the road. They regulate traffic flow … More RUSH HOUR 7: Road Signs & Warning Lights
Jeremy L. Berg 