Luke 6:12-16 - “In these days he went out to the mountains to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles…Matthew [a tax collector]…and Simon who was called the Zealot…”

If there were two people in early Christianity that had more potential for conflict, I’m not aware of them. As a tax collector for the Romans, most Jewish people would have thought that Matthew was at least dishonest if not a complete traitor to his Jewish heritage. And Simon, who is identified…

Phil. 2:29-30 - “So receive [Epaphroditus] in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.”

This passage has been one of my favorites for years. It is so convicting and challenging! In it, Paul praised the willingness of Epaphroditus to risk his personal health and well-being in order to lovingly minister to him.

I thought about Epaphroditus again as I read a mini-book during a cross-country flight called, “Risk is Right”. The author was addressing the common desire we all have to feel safe and he tried to make the point that the Christian life is not one of promised earthly ease…

Matthew 5:12-14 - “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

This school year, one of the privileges God has provided me with is the opportunity to teach some high school level classes within our local homeschool co-op. Our group has several hundred participants, and weekly I spend time with approx. 30 teenagers. Last semester the classroom I use was remodeled, and on the wall, there are two large pieces of art summarize these verses. “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world”. Visual reminders to anyone using the class of this paragraph from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. There are a few things that stand out from the metaphors Jesus used to describe those who belong to his kingdom:

Proverb 5:18–20 - “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love. Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?”

Last month I read yet another report on how culture is being influenced by pornography. That last sentence is just too vague. It was a report on how our sons’ and daughters’ views about physical intimacy are being hijacked, developed and shaped by the digital content they are consuming at a voracious rate and at an increasingly earlier age. Pornographic content is not only readily accessible on the internet via mobile devices but is voyeuristically displayed on social media ads, during sporting events, award ceremonies and within mainstream movies. I don’t think I need to list any specific movie titles or actors. I assume most people can readily rattle off a number of examples of such spiritually and relationally dangerous content.

As much as the recent report broke my heart as I read the first-person interviews of confused and hurting teenagers, I chose to do something other than bemoan the woes of the culture I find myself in and instead asked myself anew, “What does God call me to do about this?” I asked this first from the humble admission that I myself am vulnerable to temptation, and then from the role of a parent with children still at home.

James 1:2-4 - “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Recently I attended a Bible study where a brother was wrestling with God’s sovereignty and goodness. Trust me, as a 37-year-old father who has experienced the loss of two children, I am familiar with that struggle! Our brother was wrestling with James’ inspired description of Job as an example of someone who experienced God’s intentional compassion and mercy (James 5:11) and our friend made some pretty strong statements that I think need examining. Let’s think through the topic for just a minute.

Psalm 148:1-2, 5 - “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts…Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created.”

This past week a Christian in India reached out to me online because he is studying with a Hindu friend who has a couple of questions about the origin of Satan and evil. I asked our brother if he would let me organize my thoughts in the blog because others might benefit from thinking through these questions also. His friend asked two questions:

Hebrews 4:16 - “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”

In a recent Bible study on the subject of prayer, one of my friends asked an honest question that has an immense answer. I wasn’t able to answer it thoroughly at the time, so to organize my thoughts a little better I decided to spend some time, review it more, and then write my answer out. As I did, my love for Christ grew deeper, and I hope reading this post does the same for you.

To begin, let’s remember an incredible truth about the position of Jesus that was stated in Hebrews 4:14-16…

Matthew 28:6 - "He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay."

Sometimes a scripture stands out to me because I have a question about it. Other times because I have learned more about how important it is to the larger context. This week during my reading, this verse stood out to me because of the amazing grace it demonstrated on the part of God toward these two grieving disciples and it moved me!

 Exodus 17:3, 7 - “Why do you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst…Is the Lord among us or not?”

Wow! I remember a time as a child when my family was making a weekly 1-hour trip in the car and we stopped at a gas station for fuel and snacks. This was a routine stop, it happened every trip. As my father went into the station I flippantly offered an entitled request for a specific snack and questioned if he would recall it. The reason that trip stands out in my memory is because of my father’s hurt and frustrated response to his consistent grace. We made that trip weekly. We stopped weekly. Even though we didn't deserve snacks, almost without exception my parents budgeted for them and provided them. I had selfishly taken my parents’ grace and goodness for granted and believed I someone merited them.

When I read the Israelites' response in Exodus 17, my heart sank and I called to mind how I felt all those years ago when I realized how I had treated my father…

Luke 5:5 - "And Simon answered, 'Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.'"

I've recently been in some discussions where we have considered the topic of faith. What is it? What does it look like? As I've spent time reflecting on the topic, I came across the passage in Luke 5 during a study and loved what it had to say about faith! To fully appreciate Peter's response to Jesus I think it would be helpful if we understood Peter's personal journey of belief up to this point…

1 Chronicles 14:2 - "And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel" (ESV).

This past Sunday I was traveling out of town and was blessed to visit and worship with friends. I sat in on one of the adult classes which was doing a survey of 1 Chronicles, and they happened to be covering chapters 13-15, where David attempted to move the ark into Jerusalem, failed in his first attempt at the cost of Uzzah's life, and then succeeded in chapter 15 after he followed the divinely prescribed method of transportation.

In between those moments, the chronicler tells us how David acknowledged God and at other times knew to seek him before making decisions (1 Chron. 14:10, 14). In that chapter our teacher drew our attention to verse 2, where David knew that his situation and role had all been orchestrated by God. I wanted to think a little bit more about that, as well as when we fail to it…

Col. 1:18 - "And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent."

This past Sunday during worship we imagined two children having a debate as they played in a sandbox. The question under consideration was, whose father was greatest? Each persuasively and passionately made the case for his respective father. In Colossians, Paul tried to help those believers understand that there really isn't any debate when it comes to who is greatest. Christ is supreme! In the first chapter, he made two sweeping points to prove Jesus' preeminence…

Deut. 27:4 & 8 - "And when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, concerning which I command you today, on Mt. Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster...and you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly."

Last weekend our church completed a 13-week survey of Deuteronomy in one of our classes. In chapter 27 Moses told the nation that when they entered the land of Canaan, they were to go to the top of Mt. Ebal and set up a pile of white-washed stones and write the law on them. Next, they were to construct an altar to God of uncut stones. Finally, they were to organize the nation into two groups, placing one group on Mt. Ebal and another on Mt. Gerizim, very much like filling opposing sides of a modern stadium. Then the Levites would recite the blessings and curses of the law as one side of the "stadium" verbally confirmed the curses by saying "Amen" while…

Ex. 17:12 - "But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun." 

For months I have struggled to write a new blog post.  Most of the time I feel like I'm walking through an emotional and spiritual fog. Those who are familiar with our family can probably understand. On January 29th of this year our second oldest son, Cooper, passed away at home while in hospice care. He is the second of our children to do so. He was preceded by his younger brother, Whitaker, back in March of 2013. Both boys had special needs, and we suspect they may have both had some kind of genetic disorder. For nearly 11 years our family has been a special needs family, and now we aren't. I find myself doing things based on a decade of routines that are no longer necessary.

Rev. 5:8 - "And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."

Have you ever sat around a crackling campfire at night, enjoying the flickering light and radiating warmth? Maybe you cooked your meal on the coals or roasted marshmallows for s'mores. Perhaps it had rained and you were using the fire to dry your shoes and clothing. The next morning you packed everything up and headed home, and when you walked in the door someone commented that you smelled like fire! The smell of the campfire had permeated your clothing and hair so that everyone knew where you had been and what you had been doing. In Revelation John described something that permeated God's presence like the scent of burning incense.

(Originally posted 1/3/13. Just three months before our son Whitaker went to be with the Lord.)

Ps. 4:7 - "You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound."

Where does your joy come from? Does it come from the superficial circumstances of life or from something more substantial? This week as you read Psalm 4, consider David's declaration in the closing verses valuing the joy of a growing relationship with God. As David sought to be close to God during a difficult time in his life, he compared the physical prosperity his antagonists were experiencing with the vibrant spiritual relationship he had with God (Ps. 4:6). After observing the differences, David said that the joy he received from being close to God was worth more than the material wealth his opponents valued.

Because David's joyful relationship with God did not rely on physical circumstances he was able to finish his Psalm with the comforting imagery of verse 8.

Matt. 20:15 - "Am I not allowed to do what I wish with what belongs to me?  Or do you begrudge my generosity?" - ESV

I couldn't stand mathematics in school.  I was a lit man.  Give me any kind of book to explore and explain and I was content.  Sit me at a desk with a pencil and figures and I felt like my head would explode.  I have since come to appreciate the importance of math.  Doing home projects around the house requires measuring, designing and estimating.  Balancing checkbooks and keeping track of schedules all require the use of numbers.  The first time I came to appreciate math was when I had my first few jobs.  I knew what my pay-rate was and I could keep track of my income based on the hours I worked, or the number of houses I had on my paper route or the pounds of strawberries I picked per hour.

In Matthew 20 Jesus tells the parable of the landowner who hires workers throughout the day to work in his vineyard for an agreed-upon amount. 

Zech. 7:12 - "They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts."

There are several places in the Biblical text where the value of precious stones is used to communicate something of the value of heavenly things. Think of all the precious stones John saw in Revelation to describe the dazzling glory of being in God's presence (Rev. 4:1-3, 21:9-27). Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a pearl of great price worth more than anything else you may have (Matt. 13:45-46). Paul even compared some of the Christians he taught with precious material's ability to withstand the refining fire of judgment (1 Cor. 3:12-15). Even though the Bible mostly uses gemstones and other valuables to hint at the worth of heavenly things, in Zechariah 7, the comparison is negative.

Today I was tempted to "reheat" a previous blog post from years past, to make sure there was something published early in the day so I could move on to my next task. Some may understand why that was so appealing. I'm tired. This morning when I got out of bed those are the exact words I used, "I am emotionally and mentally tired." To those who see me later today, I apologize in advance for looking a little haggard, wrung out or if my attention seems to drift off into the distance at times. Total transparency alert: I sobbed yesterday in a way I haven't in years. Pillow wet with tears and all.

Instead of taking the easy way out and simply re-publishing an old post, I decided it would be better to write something new today. We'll see how it goes, but I make no promises of coherence or linear reasoning. Consider yourself warned, and proceed at your own risk.

Matt. 4:16 - "The people who live in darkness have seen a great light, and for those living in the shadowland of death, light has dawned" (HCSB).

A few weeks ago, as we sat in the house following our evening meal, a thunderstorm came rolling in pouring buckets and buckets of water. In a very short amount of time the lights in the whole house were dimming off and on and eventually died. A power line had gone down, or a transformer had blown, and our subdivision was without power. We went from having several lights on along with hearing the hum and seeing the glow of appliances, computers and the television and then experienced complete darkness and silence! Our eyes, which had been used to the light, were useless until they adjusted. Then we went to the window and watched in amazement as lightning lit up the sky and jumped from cloud to cloud.