Walking The Walk

"Do not conform to the pattern of this word, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. " ~Romans 12: 2 On Sunday, I shared a story about Gracie-- a German Shepherd puppy Valerie and I got when our youngest daughter Katie was little.   German Shepherds are strong even as puppies.   Gracie was stronger than most.   We had a cable lead we let her out on when she needed to go outside.   It was tethered to our flagpole in the backyard.   Gracie didn’t like that lead in the beginning.   She didn’t like being chained up.   And she’d pull on that lead, and strain against it, and yank on it.   She was so strong, even as a puppy, she’d shake that entire flagpole.   Eventually she learned she couldn’t break that lead and she quit trying to. But things changed.  Gracie grew to over 100 pounds—she became a very big and powerful dog. But w e never...

I’ve been asked about fasting.  I imagine there’s a lot of Christians that have never fasted!  We pray regularly, read our Bibles, attend church, give generously. But fasting? Is that something we should be doing?  In Matthew 6:16-18, He didn't ask whether His followers would fast. He assumed they would. And tucked inside that assumption is an open invitation—to experience a dimension of spiritual growth that most of us are simply leaving on the table. Look closely at what Jesus says:  "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."  Jesus said "when you fast"—not " if you fast."  In the s...

As a pastor I get a lot of interesting questions as you might imagine.   I thought I’d start answering some of those questions.   I’ve gotten this question about tongues several times.   So here’s what I’ve come to know about this topic by simply reading what’s written in the Bible.      Many of us have come across videos online showing pastors and church leaders speaking in what they describe as tongues. These videos often show individuals speaking rapidly in sounds that bear no resemblance to any known human language, sometimes with large crowds responding emotionally, and with no interpreter present anywhere in the room. It is worth pausing and asking a straightforward question.   Does what we are seeing in those videos match what Scripture actually describes?   In a word.   No.   If we want to understand the gift of tongues, the right place to begin is where Scripture introduces it — the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. When the H...

"We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check"  ~James 3:2 I have a Bible study that I lead on Wednesday mornings at a local coffee shop.  This week, it just so happened that the verses that came up in our study are the same verses I’m preaching on this Sunday morning.  I wrote the sermon two or three months ago, and the Bible study we just started a few weeks ago, so it’s a pretty remarkable coincidence.  And I couldn’t guess how many times I’ve told the congregation to pay close attention to “coincidences” because I’ve learned throughout my life, that often what we call a “coincidence” is God working in our life. I can’t think of a better time to talk about the power of words.  The importance of how we speak to each other.  Our culture is out of control, especially with our speech.  The hate we spew.  The foul language that’s everywhere.  The awful things...

We all have that person, don't we? You know exactly who I'm talking about. Maybe it's someone at work who constantly undermines you. Perhaps it's a family member who knows exactly which buttons to push. Or maybe it's that neighbor whose very presence makes your jaw clench. You know who I'm talking about, because their face just popped up in your mind.  And you're not alone. We've all got difficult people in our lives, and today, Jesus has something radical to say about how we're supposed to love them. Read what Jesus says in Matthew 5, verses 43 through 48. Listen carefully, because this teaching goes against everything our culture tells us:   "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unri...

Emma defending her "snow fort" long after her brother Scooter loses interest in occupying it.   You know it's coming. The weather app has been refreshed approximately 47 times in the last hour. The meteorologist on TV is using words like "significant accumulation" and "travel not advised," which in snow-speak means "here it comes!" And suddenly, everyone in town has the same brilliant idea: I better go to the grocery store. Right now. As if we're preparing to survive on French toast for the next three weeks.   The grocery store looks like a Black Friday sale. Grown adults are speed-walking toward the dairy aisle. Someone's cart has five gallons of milk. Five!  We are terrible at stopping. Absolutely terrible. Even when we know rest is coming, we resist. We try to cram 47 tasks into the final hours before the universe forces us to sit down. It's almost like we're afraid of what might happen if we actually had to be still for ...