Posts tagged “Jesus”
Grace for real sinners
“At least I ain’t killed nobody.” We sure like to set the bar high for ourselves, don’t we? Not. How often isn’t this our…
Empty!
An empty stomach gurgling during a silent prayer at church is embarrassing. Empty milk containers left in the refrigerator are quite annoying. My wife’s…
Let’s bring back Easter
I feel bad for Easter. They say that Christmas and Easter are the two biggest days for Christianity, but compared to Christmas, Easter is…
Ready?
Are you ready? My boys and I weren’t. We were sitting on our beds at a hotel, watching sports highlights, when suddenly the fire…
Light drives away the shadows
I recently read a children’s book to my kids about a bear who wanted to get rid of his shadow. He didn’t like having…
When stuff owns you
I remember the garage sale of garage sales. The big day came. After people came and went, most of my stuff was still sitting…
No exclusions on grace
There are always exclusions, right? Everything comes with fine print. You go to the doctor and have to sign forms—lots of forms! You rent…
Your baptism is a big deal
Do you think your baptism is a big deal? Big enough to stand up and clap for, to shed a tear over, to annually…
Government according to Jesus
Caesar, a pagan politician who claimed divine powers for himself that belong only to God, deserved obedience from Christians according to Jesus: “Give back…
Doubt or belief
When it was almost time for Jesus to be born, the central figures in his birth story got some news. Here’s how it went…
Impractical preaching
I try to be a practical preacher. After I unpack a section of Scripture, I like to suggest a simple next step to help…
But Jesus resisted
Seeing the homeless men who hang out near our church makes me appreciate just how intense Jesus’ temptation must have been. “The devil led…