Remember the movie “Back to the Future?” It raised the ‘if’ question. Well, the Psalms and all the Psalms for that matter, get us to consider alternatives, either-or, this or that, there’s another way. Take Psalm 95:7-8 as an example. It calls us to go back to the future. “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice, do not harden your…

If you will, think about three beautiful well-built sailboats carrying contracted passengers across the Gulf of Mexico.  Each of them is built to deal with storms. 

The first one has an experienced skipper who is familiar with storms, has the proper maps, checked weather conditions and has navigated the ocean area before.  He has a committed crew that trusts his judgment, has the storm-trained skills to work with him and all the equipment checked and properly maintained. …

To Choose or Not to Choose, That is the Question

I’m back in the mountains and it’s early in the morning but I woke up about 4am with a concern for the idea of choice, pro-choice and what choice is all about.  I couldn’t sleep so this article is the result.  We make all kinds of choices.  We all like the idea of being able to choose.  We are by nature pro-choice people.  Every human being likes to make choices and to make them freely.

Yes, I know.  You are…

Hebrews 2

2:1 tells us “We must pay MORE careful attention THEREFORE…” The ‘more’ and ‘therefore’ is Chapter 1’s emphasis on the superiority of Jesus. This is why Chapter 2 leads out with such a strict calling. But what does that specifically mean for each of us? Three things to consider here:

First, we are created in the image of God to be like Jesus. What is an image of God? Jesus is the exact representation of God. He had a mind, a heart and a spirit. He thought like His…

“His Heart’s Not in It.” You’ve heard that expression I’m sure. It’s all about the heart and where we are when the heart is called upon.

When I was coaching soccer we had a new crop of boys at the beginning of each season. There were four kinds.

First, it was not unusual to see boys come out who wanted to play but when they found out it was going to require personal discipline to really play and run well they would tend to make excuses and slack off. It was more important to be…

Praise, the Door to Reality

If ever there was a need for stepping into reality it is now. Ultimate reality is God and everything He is, His person and His nature. When we use the word ‘God’ we are moving from our self-centered egos into a realm of identity, perfection and spirit that surpass the most illustrious ideas of man’s imagination. He is the eternal challenge to the core of our being self-conscious, self-dependent and self-exalting beings.

As sinners we spend most of…

I’ve always been fascinated with the story of the Lone Ranger. It was one of my favorite radio programs when I was a child. The Lone Ranger had been a Texas Ranger wounded by the Cavendish gang and left to die. He was nursed back to health by a childhood Indian friend named Tonto, his ‘kemosabe (faithful friend).’ His signature marks were his silver bullets, a mask and a horse named Silver. Together he and Tonto decided to be a duo that would bring justice back to the frontier on their own…

Smoke---what is it, where does it come from and how do we get rid of it?

There are three things we need to understand when we approach the Old Testament.

First, it is an earth grounded spiritual history of God’s preparation for the coming of Jesus. The Law, the Prophets and the Writings all contain deep personal issues with which we are to identify.

Second, it is an outward expression of an inward problem, sin, which Jesus was sent to solve. It is written to the mind,…

A recent anti-smoking ad showed the emphysemic condition of the lungs after years of tobacco intake. The background voice described it to be like dried shoe leather that, untended, dries, hardens, cracks and is impossible to restore. This explains why you see people walk around with oxygen tanks (unless they have a lung transplant). They’re infusing what’s left of the shriveled remains.

A similar condition is described in Ps.119:83, “Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not…

John Stott has given us a definition of political and religious interaction when he says,

“Relations between church and state have been notoriously controversial throughout the Christian centuries. To oversimplify, four main models have been tried: --

First, Erastianism (the state controls the church),

Second, Theocracy (the church controls the state),

Third, Constantinianism (the compromise in which the state favours the church and the

church accommodates…