A friend of mine who is a pastor sometimes says that he has no problem thinking that God has included him as part of the group plan, but he does have a hard time connecting with the thought that God has loved and included him as an individual. I can very much relate to this […]

Paul’s lament in Romans 7 of his inability to live as he knew he ought to live. We are encouraged to know that we are not alone in our sense of falling short of where we’d like to be.

In his book Center Church, Timothy Keller compares the ideas of faithfulness and fruitfulness in ministry. Those who emphasize faithfulness, point to the accuracy of their teaching and their diligence in presenting scripture as the guide for life and godliness. They point to the fact that regardless of the apparent results, they remain steadfast in […]

The third of the Ten Commandments says this: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” Exodus 20:7 (ESV) Growing up, this commandment was considered satisfied as long as a person didn’t use the words, “God,” […]

So while we may not totally forget the failures of the past, we can live knowing that we are not stuck and those failures don’t define us.

Whether it is by personality or by training, or some combination of both, I like to have rules to assist in making decisions. But one thing we learn from the gospels is that Jesus often didn’t play by the conventional rules and sometimes it is difficult to discern if a rule is from God (and inviolable) or from man (and can be ignored).