Jesus spoke often of the “Kingdom of God”. One of the most famous verses about the kingdom is in Matthew where Jesus says “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”. In this section, Jesus is telling the people not to worry about the daily … Read more
We are encouraged in Scripture to do good. We are charged by Christ to love in the face of hate and to repay evil with good. Here in 1 Peter we are told to “revere Christ as Lord” in our heart. What does it mean to revere Christ as Lord and what does it have … Read more
Israel was in exile. God’s people were taken out of Zion and now lived in Babylon. They wondered “How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?” Though they lived in Babylon their allegiance was still to the Lord. They were strangers in a land that was not their own. … Read more
About a week ago I was talking with my wife Marcie and she shared a thought that I’d like to pass on to you. Before I get into that I’d better give you a little history. Marcie and I grew up together in Sunny San Diego. The day we got married is the day we … Read more
Have you ever met someone who is deeply inquisitive? You know, someone who is always looking for the answer to whatever question is gnawing at them? I’m one of those people. Since a young age I’ve been trying to understand people, relationships, myself and especially God. “Why are things the way they are?” I often wonder. Why would … Read more
Lately I have been studying the history of church theology, practices and how these have intertwined over time to bring us to where we currently are in America. How did we get here? Where did our ideas about God, faith and church come from? Are they all from scripture or have we added some things to … Read more
Two of my favorite parables recorded in the Bible are the parable “A Treasure Hidden in a Field” and “The Pearl of Great Price”. They are the shortest parables we have and contain a simple message. In each parable, someone finds something of great value. They go away and sell everything they have to obtain … Read more
Have you ever read Luther’s Large Catechism? Many of us are familiar with Luther’s Small Catechism from our time in confirmation, but what is the Large Catechism? The Large Catechism is a collection of sermons that Luther preached expounding on the catechism. It was published to aid teachers and parents in sharing the faith with … Read more
At some point in our lives, we must all decide if we are going to conform to the world’s expectations for our lives or rebel against them. For many of us this decision comes in high school. We are met with so many decisions on every level of who we are. Will I accept what … Read more
Lately I’ve been reading a book entitled Greek for the Rest of Us. It’s a book that teaches a person to utilize the vast amounts of Greek bible study tools without actually learning to translate Greek. In the opening chapters of the book, the author explains why we have different translations and the pros and … Read more