This week’s psalm lands us on the Divine Counselor’s couch, and we pour out our soul in his presence. If you think you’re having a bad day, sit in on the psalmist’s session and count your blessings! Some days we study and learn from Scripture. Other days we curl up in the fetal position and groan along with Scripture. … More On the Divine Therapist’s Couch
Last night was a sweet kind of homecoming for me. I was invited back to speak at the church of my childhood, where I was baptized and confirmed and the early seeds of my faith were sown. I brought my two boys along to show them where it all began for me. Here’s what I shared. … More Goodness & Mercy Follows
This week’s lectionary reflection focuses on Exodus 20:1-17 and Psalm 19, outlining God’s laws and our relationship with them. It discusses different approaches to rules, emphasizing the importance of understanding and following them. Pastor Mike uses the metaphor of car maintenance to illustrate the benefits of adhering to God’s rules and the support they provide during life’s challenges. … More Rules and that New Car Smell
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
While we may be foolhardy and fumble footed in our efforts to bear fruit, God wants to step into our weed-infested lives and dilapidated dreams to grow something in us! And if God can make a wrinkly 99 year old on viagra exceedingly fruitful, then imagine what kind of a beautiful garden he can make out of your life? … More Exceedingly Fruitful
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
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
My son Peter asked, “Dad, who are the good guys and bad guys? Are we supposed to cheer for the apes or the humans?” A profound question that gets to the heart of the film itself. I told Peter, “I’m not sure if it’s that simple, buddy; let’s keep watching.” … More Planet of the Apes
Paul’s strange and even disturbing instructions to believers in Corinth beg explanation. For Paul, every molecule in the universe had been shifted by the Christ Event, and the imminent return of Jesus placed a question mark next to all ordinary things of life. Pastor Paul’s words likely jolted his first hearers awake and raised many questions–questions we do well to ponder again today. … More The End is Nigh (Sort Of)
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
In the fullness of time God came again to His people. No longer cloaked in a terrifying tornado, this time His presence dwelled in a teething toddler. His radiant glory, instead of flashes of lightning across the eastern sky, now shone from the eyes of a humble baby in a manger. … More Christmas on Mt. Mystic 5: The Cloud
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
Those who carry a “father wound” often subconsciously project their pain, anger, or fear onto their Heavenly Father. They may picture God as distant, or disinterested, or capricious or temperamental. Jesus came to show us the true heart of the Father. … More Everlasting Father Wounds
“Don’t be more serious than God. God invented dog farts. God designed your body’s plumbing system. God designed an ostrich. If He didn’t do it, He permitted a drunken angel to do it. Empirical facts can add significantly to the meaning of “being godlike”.” … More WOW – Peter Kreeft
When bad things happen in this world, and unjust suffering befalls the innocent, we often jump to the ‘Why’ question first. The disciples lived in a world where it was popular to believe that disease, birth defects, and other forms of suffering were punishment for sin — either the person suffering or his parents. We … More Why, God, Why? Suffering & God’s Glory
I’m an artisan. It’s taken me about 38 years to admit it. My right brain has been trying to get my attention for years. I’ve been too busy doing important left brain stuff to notice. Or, perhaps I’ve been doing a lot of right brain stuff and giving the left brain all the credit. … More Right vs. Left Brain Pastor
God has green thumbs. There’s no doubt about that. You are never closer to the heart and purposes of God than when you’re on you’re on your knees in the garden pulling weeds with sweat running down your brow. Or tilling that rocky soil, pulling up thorns and thistles, or wringing your hands with frustration … More Going Green 1: God Has Green Thumbs
I was standing on the dock putting gasoline into the boat the other day. I happened to read the bright yellow warning sticker as I slowly poured the 5-gallons into the tank. The sticker read: WARNING: Leaking fuel is a fire and explosion hazard. Inspect fuel system often. My mind began searching for some Christian … More Warning: Explosion Hazard
To begin with, we might accurately call God the original Recycler. Long before it was trendy to “Go Green” God made earth and everything in it and declared it “good.” When God’s beautiful creation turned so quickly on it’s Creator, dragging all humankind into the long night of sin and death, paradise was polluted. Original … More GARBAGE DAY 2 – God Recycles
Every year around Halloween, I like to explore the topic of spiritual warfare — you know, angels, demons and the cosmic forces of evil. Here are some of the posts on this topic from the past. Today I want to share Greg Boyd’s basic articulation of what he calls a “Warfare Worldview” — that is, … More God vs. Satan: The Warfare Worldview (G. Boyd)
Suzi shared this devotional at Keri’s baby shower a while back. Enjoy. Sometimes it would be nice to know the future. Some of the characters in the BIble were given a glimpse of it. In Genesis 15, God promises Abram a son. When none was forthcoming with his wife Sarai, he had a son with … More Raising Children, Honoring God (by Suzi Fox)
Here’s another repost from the past. Life is a little busier these days and I haven’t had time or energy to invest in many new posts. As you can probably see, my time has been going into videos rather than blogs. ‘Tis the season we’re in right now. Peace, JB I always heard that San … More God, Seasons & Spirituality
Let’s bring religion, sex, and politics to the dinner table! Jesus and the Bible have a lot to say about them. Tread carefully and expect disagreements. FAITH & POLITICS ARCHIVE SEX & GOD ARCHIVE
Jeremy L. Berg 