Earlier this year, I purchased a few apple and peach trees to add to my micro-farm. After I planted them, I drove some stakes in the ground a couple feet from their trunks and then ran twine from those stakes to the tree trunks to anchor those trees in place until their root system could…
As a pastor, I do a fair share of hospital visitation. In order to see who I need to see when I need to see them, sometimes I have to pull what my pastor friends and I call my “clergy card.” No, I don’t have an actual clergy card, but when I tell the nurse…
Merry Christmas! The big day is finally here! And so today, we wrap up our focus on the ancient Christian tradition of Advent. In Isaiah 9:6, we read a prophecy about the coming Messiah Christ, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his…
Today, we continue our focus on the ancient Christian tradition of Advent. In Isaiah 9:6, we read a prophecy about the coming Messiah Christ, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,…
Today, we continue our focus on the ancient Christian tradition of Advent. In Isaiah 9:6, we read a prophecy about the coming Messiah Christ, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,…
Today, we continue our focus on the ancient Christian tradition of Advent. In Isaiah 9:6, we read a prophecy about the coming Messiah Christ, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,…
To help us prepare our hearts for Christmas, over the next 5 devotions, we’ll focus on the ancient Christian tradition of Advent. Each day, we will light a candle to help us count up to Christmas Day, focusing on hope, peace, joy, love, and Christ. In Isaiah 9:6, we read a prophecy about the coming…
Apostle Paul emphatically states in Ephesians 3 that he was made a minister of the gospel by God’s gracious gift. He had a special calling and anointing on his life to vocationally preach the gospel and plant churches. God set him apart for that task. And he fulfilled that task marvelously. However, don’t miss the…
A paradigm is a framework for thinking. It’s kind of the lens through which you see the world based on what you know and have experienced, and it influences your expectations. These paradigms are not inherently bad. In fact, they can be quite good. However, we can expect that there will be moments when new…
Christian scholar G.K. Chesterton once noted, “The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.” Isn’t that true? Sometimes the hardest people to live in peace with are those we live in close proximity to. But what can change that? The answer…