Learning to love others the way Jesus loves us
They'll know we are Christians by our love _"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). This powerful… Continue reading 1 John 3: 11-18; 3 John
Endure in the Truth you already know image by author Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been… Continue reading 1 John 2:18–25
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life — is not from the Father… Continue reading What happens when the world loves itself.
Suddenly, a poem I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know… Continue reading 1 John 2:12–14
A post for Juneteenth and Independence Day For Freedom "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (1 Corinthians 3:17) Two major wars define the United States. World Wars defined the U.S. role in world affairs, but domestic conflicts outline American identity. Both wars fought for… Continue reading For Freedom
Jesus is the Light And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness,… Continue reading 1 John 4:4-7
Worldviews in the church I started writing this chapter in August of 2021, at the height of the COVID pandemic. Two-and-a-half years later, most of it still holds. If anything, churches are often more divided over world views, and if not divided, more deeply entrenched in their cultural belief systems, turning away from the simplicity… Continue reading Defaulting to grace: Part two
Part One: Why grace over world views matter The things we think and do while we live on earth reflect our belief systems and world views. If we engage in worldly disputes within the Church, how can we be united as Jesus' followers reaching out to a lost world? What are the points of view… Continue reading Defaulting to grace in the Church over world views
Habakkuk 1:12-2:20 But the Lord is in his holy temple; let the whole earth be silent in his presence. Habakkuk 2:20 The world has changed significantly since I first wrote through Habakkuk in 2020. You know what hasn't changed? The Lord God, Holy One (קָדוֹשׁ אֱלֹהִים יְהֹוָה), YaHWeH Elohim Kadosh (Habakkuk 1:12) never changes. In… Continue reading Revisiting Habakkuk, Part Two
How do we determine the value of a life? I opened my Substack inbox on April 1 and was struck by the very pretty face of a young woman leaning contentedly on a man's chest. The story headline read, "I'm 28. And I'm Scheduled to Die in May." It wasn't a joke. As I read… Continue reading Dignity, not Death
Defaulting to Grace 