A Kingdom of Gentleness and Respect
After the election in the United States, half of the country finds itself disappointed with the result. However, as David wrote in Psalm 3 when he had been pushed out of power by his son Absalom, all American Christians should declare “salvation belongs to the LORD.”[1] This is an inherently political statement, declaring that salvation does not come from any government. But this is a message Christians need to deliver…
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Daily Readings for November 2 – 8
Fellow travelers: For those looking for a Bible reading plan, each week I post 2 chapters to read per day as a main reading plan, and for anyone who wants to read the whole Bible in 2026, I’ll post the extra chapters to read that week. The main readings include nearly all of the New Testament, plus Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Prophets, and a few other Old Testament books. Reading…
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The Brief Joy of Falling Back
English writer Samuel Johnson wrote sometime in the 1700’s: “How small of all that human hearts endure,That part which laws or kings can cause or cure.Still to ourselves in every place consigned,Our own felicity we make or find.With secret course, which no loud storms annoy,Glides the smooth current of domestic joy.” By setting the clock back this week we get a bit of joy from an extra hour of sleep,…
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Mountain Bullies
It’s almost universal to human experience that big and strong people bully smaller and weaker people. Those with position, influence and power use what they have to take advantage of those who don’t have what they have. Centuries ago, David imagined in Psalm 68:15-16 that even the mountains do the same: “O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!Why do you look with hatred, O…
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Christianity Isn’t Vegas
The sign above is posted near the doors on the way out of the sanctuary in my church. It is a reminder that sharing Christ with the world is not a task only for those who travel away from home to do it as a full-time job. It is not a task only for those who go into a “hostile” culture. It is a task for all who would follow…
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God is Awake!
Sometimes even Christians with strong faith may look at the evil and problems of the world and wonder where God is. Does He care? And if He does care, why isn’t He doing something about the state of our world? If God is a God of love, why doesn’t He protect His people, and if God is a God of justice, why doesn’t He punish evil? God may seem so…
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“The Sea was No More”
One of my favorite places to be is the ocean. I love the roar of the waves and the feel of the sand. I love catching waves with a boogie board or just bodysurfing. Being in the ocean is my “happy place.” But will it be that for me in heaven? Will it be like that, only better, or will it be something completely different? The Bible doesn’t provide…
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Lessons from an Unlikely Idol
The history of the kings of Judah can read like a back-and-forth between construction of idols by bad kings and the destruction of idols by good kings. Hezekiah was one of the few good kings, and one reason is recorded in 2 Kings 18:4, which says: “[Hezekiah] removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses…
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Daily Readings for October 26 – November 1
Fellow travelers: For those looking for a Bible reading plan, each week I post 2 chapters to read per day as a main reading plan, and for anyone who wants to read the whole Bible in 2026, I’ll post the extra chapters to read that week. The main readings include nearly all of the New Testament, plus Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Prophets, and a few other Old Testament books. Reading…
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Changing Focus
Anyone who has been reading here for a while knows that I love the Psalms. In so many of them, we can relate to what the writer feels or is going through and then learn from them how to better relate to God. I find myself praying richer prayers when in the Psalms. This post is about a Psalm I think about when things aren’t going well and God seems…
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