There are few things that get me more excited than a baptism. Seriously, it’s thrilling. I find it especially exciting when I get to perform the baptism, but just witnessing someone’s new birth in the Triune name of God does it for me too. It’s such a deep reaction. It must be the Holy Spirit … Read more
In Jesus’ great commission, he tells his disciples to be “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Mat. 28:20). So, over the last year, we have paid close attention to Jesus’ commands in Matthew so that we can be disciples who make disciples. It’s amazing how Jesus teaches us everything we need to … Read more
As many of you may know, I was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease. It seems my body attacks my small intestine when it finds gluten in my system. Over time, the damage results in malabsorption and all sorts of other bad things can happen with that. Gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye. So, … Read more
The Bible is filled with ideas. Some ideas are beautiful, others are challenging, some give us comfort, others bring a deep fear. But Christianity is so much bigger than ideas. I hope our journey through the Gospel of Matthew can convince you of that. We may be tempted to think that Jesus is all about … Read more
It seems to me we travel through life generally seeking our own self-interests. When we consider what kind of impression we want to leave with people, we naturally want to leave a positive impression of ourselves. Now, that’s not all bad. Nobody wants to spend time with someone who leaves them with a bad impression … Read more
They don’t go together well, do they? If I’m being honest with myself, I can’t characterize our American Christmas with words like stillness, peace or tranquility. The fact is, it’s a frenetically busy time with overwhelming social obligations. It gets so crazy that many things we would like to accomplish in December get pushed back … Read more
“You shall have no other gods before me.” Those are the first words of instruction on how God wants His people to live. Closely following that instruction is some explanation. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth … Read more
The theme of the 2012 Minnesota South District Convention was “Free and Focused.” The theme verse was taken from 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Take a read: For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, … Read more
As a boy I remember the hustle and bustle of Sunday morning. I wasn’t always the swiftest out the door in the morning. It was a lot of work getting everything ready, picking out our Sunday best and making ourselves presentable. Unfortunately the work didn’t stop when we got to church. It had only begun! … Read more
We’ve all met people whose perception of themselves far exceeded their actual ability. If we’re honest with ourselves, we find that it’s also great description of us! It’s true! There’s nothing more humbling that being a human being. Think about it. Do we have the ability to create ourselves? No. We are in this world … Read more