Oliver loved Christmas. It was Christmas Eve, and he couldn’t wait to wake up the next morning, run down the stairs, and open his presents. He knew he had to wait until after breakfast, but his visions of tearing open presents after his mother’s morning spread were quite vivid. He struggled to fall asleep, but in time he did, and on Christmas morning he jolted awake, ran down the stairs, and beheld quite a sight. Under the sparkling tree were presents galore. After breakfast, Oliver’s...
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Would you consider two verses for a moment? The first is Deuteronomy 27:26, “‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” The second is Galatians 3:10 where Paul quotes Deuteronomy 27:26, “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’” Think about those verses. God has given...
It’s ingrained in us. We love performance. We celebrate it. We believe that hard work pays off. Tonight, the Golden State Warriors take on the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Both teams worked very hard and defeated very good basketball teams to rise from a record of 0-0 to the NBA Finals. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart all worked incredibly hard to get to where they are. They performed, and that’s why they are where they...
I recently heard a Christian man remark about another believer who had died. With hope in the gospel, he said the woman who had died was now with Jesus dancing in her new body. The woman had suffered cancer, and his comments, no doubt, were intended to communicate the gospel hope that when believers die, they go to be with Jesus, and their suffering ends. However, as well-intentioned as he was, his comments were mistaken. See, human beings are body and soul, and when believers die, their souls...
One of the best things I learned in seminary was the short little phrase, “Words have meaning.” Now, you might say under your breath, “Thank you Captain Obvious for that great insight!” But in my experience, it seems some people forget this simple truth. People often misuse words or assume they understand a certain subject when in reality they misunderstand the subject because they don’t know the vocabulary. Matt Walsh, the conservative political commentator, is releasing a new...
As Mark Twain used to say, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” If you have a point to make, regardless of whether it is true or not, you can probably get some statistic to support it. You can probably get some “expert” to support it as well. I think we need to recognize the limitations of statistics and be careful and prudent with them, but they do have their place. According to The State of Theology survey conducted in 2020 by Ligonier Ministries...
Think for a moment about the most powerful people in the world. You probably think of political leaders, judges, business magnates, and religious figures. And all of them probably have important places where they sit. Pope Francis has his papal throne in Rome. Jeff Bezos probably has a certain seat at a huge conference room table. I saw a bizarre picture of Vladimir Putin meeting with financial advisors at the Kremlin. He was at the head of the table. At the other end of the table, about 20...
The ascension of Jesus is one Biblical truth I struggle to understand. How was it better that he leave us? Jesus said in John 16:7, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away.” How is that true? I want Jesus physically with me. I don’t say this in a flippant or irreverent way – I truly mean this – I would love to eat a delicious meal with Jesus and talk long into the evening, listening, questioning, and learning. I want to see his facial expressions and hear his...
Gas prices. It’s criminal to pay $437 per gallon. You’d come into a small fortune if you struck oil on your property. Imagine there is oil beneath the surface of your backyard, you just have to dig deep enough to get it, but you don’t know it’s there. One day, you think to yourself, “I don’t want to take out loans anymore to fill my car with gas. I’m going to do something about this craziness. I wonder if there is oil in my backyard.” So, you go out and start digging. You dig...
When I was in 10th grade, I wrecked my motorcycle. I road with my friend Randy up to a motocross track just up the hill from our friend Jared’s house in the small town of East Earl, PA. I came ripping around the corner of the dirt track into the straightaway and double jump. I got air but shorted it. My back tire hit the second jump, and I went vertical above the handlebars. When I crashed, I hit my head and swooned. After my swoon faded, I stood against the tree and shook my head. My swoon...