Serving Christ in México
Any reader of the Bible knows the experience of reading through the book of Leviticus. Compared with the flowing narratives and fascinating character studies of Genesis and the first half of Exodus, Leviticus reads slow and sluggish.
Continue reading “How to Be Clean”
Life in this sin-broken world is not always pretty. Dirt gets in our eyes, under our fingernails and behind our ears. Dust settles on every surface and collects in our lungs. Germs and bugs and viruses attack our immune system. Our muscles ache and stomachs vomit. Bread moulds and meat rots. Mice live in our walls and cockroaches in our cupboards.
Continue reading “Dust and Dirt and Dung”
It’s about the journey, not the destination. This is good advice for a road trip, or life itself in a very general sense. Don’t get so caught up with where you are going that you miss the merit of the present moment
Of course, if I am on my way to Walmart to buy groceries, then my trip is about the destination, and the traffic during the journey is just getting in the way. Or if I am going to my parents’ house, the drive over has its own beauty, but at some point, I do actually want to arrive at their house.
Continue reading “The End Is The Journey”
Did you know that you were crucified on the cross? Were you aware of the fact that you have already been buried in a tomb and later resurrected to a new life?
If you are a Christian, what is true for Christ has become true for you as well. What Christ has accomplished during his mission here on earth has been applied to you – his perfectly lived life; his substitutionary sacrifice; his triumphant resurrection; and his entrance into eternal glory. Faith in Christ brings us into union with Christ. It so closely identifies us with Him, that it can be said that we have died to sin, been resurrected to newness of life, are counted righteous, and accepted into the everlasting kingdom of God.
Continue reading “What’s True for Christ Is True for Us”
Sam is a Jehovah’s Witness who stops by once in a while to chat about Jesus. Usually, at the hour he stops by, I am busy preparing for a gospel message or for a bible study so I have several bibles strewn across the table and I am tapping away on my laptop. For this reason, Sam likes to compliment me on how studious I am.
Continue reading “Yet Not I”
When I was growing up on the farm, Saturday mornings meant chores, and the one chore we could always count on without fail was cleaning calf pens. The baby calves were kept in wooden, rectangle-shaped pens with a sand bottom and filled with straw and wood shavings. For a month or two, the calves would spend their lives in these pens, making it easier for them to be fed and cared for.
Continue reading “A Pile of Sins”
One of the functions of the Bible is to provide us with a trustworthy framework for life. Like a map we consult when we are lost in a maze of crisscrossing streets, the Bible orients us in the world so we can tell which way is which. Not only does the Bible keep us on the right road, but it ensures that we are not surprised or taken off guard by the sudden turns or dead ends.
Continue reading “The Truth For a Lie “
Sometimes we meet characters in the Bible who occupy only a handful of verses. The multi-layered mosaic of their life is summed up in a few words – a few quick strokes of the pen. Such is the life of Anna, the elderly widow who caught a glimpse of baby Jesus in the temple with his parents and started telling the whole world that the Messiah had finally arrived.
Continue reading “Like A Sparrow in the House of God”
Who’s in charge? Who has the power and position to influence the events of history and create change in the world, for better or for worse?
If you had asked that question of the citizens of the Roman Empire two thousand years ago, the likely reply would have been: Caesar Augustus. He was, after all, the most powerful man in the most powerful empire in the world. In addition, he was the man responsible for a whole range of positive change in the Empire. He ushered in the era of pax romana and his rule brought stability to a constantly changing government. New construction projects were undertaken at his command, and trade and commerce were allowed to flourish.
Continue reading “Caesar’s Census and God’s Sovereignty”
The promise of a son is one of the more prominent threads which weaves itself through the biblical story of redemption. Immediately after Adam, a “son of God” (Luke 3:38), disobeyed and fell into sin, God came to him with a promise that the seed of the woman would ultimately win out over the crafty serpent who had lured them into distrust and rebellion. A son of a woman would enter into combat with the great enemy of God and after being struck by his foe, the son would crush the head of the serpent and put an end to his power and influence over the world.
Continue reading “A Son on the Throne”
The Rabbi's Burrito 