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Week of March 10 “Into the Heart of the Bible” and “Something from the Margin of My Bible”
On her video series this week, Leah discusses a period of Bible history that is often overlooked, the period of Judah alone. You can watch the video below or, if you choose, click here to watch on her YouTube channel. On the “margin” podcast, Adam gives a note this week from the time of preparation for receiving the 10 Commandments. Click here to listen.
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The Most Intolerant People You Will Meet
The word “tolerance” has certainly come into wide use in recent years. We are told that we have to be tolerant of any number of things. Even if you do not agree with something, you just have to tolerate it. After all, to do any less just is not a Christian attitude. We can set that aside very quickly by pointing out that Jesus did not tolerate anything and everything. He clearly condemned religious bigotry. He told people that they had sinned. He even taught in such a way–via parables–that some would understand and some would not. But I want to go down a different road. Maybe by now I…
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So Close, and Yet So Far
Our young people at West Side are some of the best ever. Yes, I know I’m biased when I say that, but I do have evidence to back it up. About three months ago, a few of them approached me with a request. They had noticed that several people had expressed difficulty with daily Bible reading and wanted to set up a system for coming up with topical Bible readings and keeping one another accountable in their reading. They asked me if I could make a group chat that people could join and, if the members of the group chat would decide on a topic each week, whether I could…
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The Board & The Cross
I remember reading a unique book years ago. Each chapter was written by a person who had left the church that the Lord said that He would build (Matt. 16:18) and was now a member of a church begun by some man, group, and/or “movement.” Because of the passing of time (and my not-so-accurate memory), I have forgotten a lot of what I read. I do remember thinking at the time that most of the contributors to the book had “an axe to grind,” some sort of agenda, or some other reason for writing that I didn’t believe to be valid. Before I get some pushback on that, I fully…
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Week of March 3 “Into the Heart of the Bible” and “Something from the Margin of My Bible”
On her video lesson this week, Leah overviewed one of the most confusing parts of the Bible for many people: the period of the Divided Kingdom. To watch the lesson, click here or watch below. On the “margin” podcast, Adam shared a very short note about Exodus 20:2. To listen, click here.
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Jesus Saves
While traveling down the interstate in southern Illinois recently I noticed a small yellow sign along the road. Had I been driving, I would have missed it, but I was the passenger in the front seat. It was a tiny sign, given the size of most signs along the highway, and it was up in some trees that were rather large. Its message was the title of this post. Now, you may be thinking that I’m going to write something about the beauty of that message (and it is a beautiful message). Any mention of Jesus and His ability to save us from our sins is a beautiful message. However,…
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My Favorite (and Least Favorite) Scene after Worship
I love worship. I tell people regularly that worship is hard for me because, if I am not truly focused on a song or a prayer, my mind will go to my sermon and be “rehearsing” what I’m about to say. Still, though it is hard work, I love it. And sometimes during a worship service, we will have a public response. Often, it is someone who is a Christian and is seeking prayers of forgiveness or encouragement. What a joy to pray together! At other times, it is one who is lost but desires to put Christ on in baptism. There is no greater way to end a worship…
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12 Lessons from the Book of Job
This winter, I was fortunate enough to be asked to teach a survey of the book of Job to our main adult class at West Side. This book is one of the richest collections of wisdom poetry in the history of the world, and its insights into the nature of divine justice and deliverance exceed all others. As usual, I feel an immense sense of gratitude for the lessons I have learned through teaching through this book as well as discussing it with others in the process. There are many more than 12 valuable lessons about God that I have learned and relearned through teaching this class. That said, I’d…
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You Can’t Do It for Them
Donna sometimes tells about an incident that dates back to the days very early in our marriage when both of us taught in a public high school. She had given her class an assignment and had refused to accept what one boy turned in. The reason for the rejection (and the failing grade) was that the boy had submitted something that was very inappropriate. When the boy’s mother learned about this, she called Donna and let her know (in no uncertain terms), “I’ll have you know, that I did that assignment.” I suppose that she thought this would give some sort of legitimacy to her son’s project, could “bully” Donna…
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Who Knows?
I feel like these words are an answer more than a question these days. What is this generation thinking with their music? Who knows. What is up with all the changes happening in our world? Who knows. Are we really going to relive 70s fashion? Who knows. Was the groundhog serious about six more weeks? Who knows. In our weekly Wednesday night devotional we heard a famous use of these words, but as a question. In the book of Esther, evil Haman has gotten the king to sign a decree basically sentencing all Jews to death. While encouraging Esther to be brave and go to the king on behalf of…
