I often find myself in the middle of a parent-child teachable moment. The parent is trying to teach the child how to introduce himself. “Look at Pastor Scott, shake his hand, and tell him your name,” the parent says. All the while, the child is enduring the moment and hoping...
When you read the book of James, the Holy Spirit will read your heart. This is a good thing. In most introductions to James you will read that this short New Testament book is like Proverbs in the Old Testament. James deals with practical matters and does so with some...
Devoted to Prayer: Praying Through the Book of James At Grace Community Church, we are beginning 2019 with prayer. The book of James will be our guide. James opens with this call to prayer: “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God.” (James 1:5). My paraphrase of this verse is,...
A good phrase evokes a beautiful image. So it is when I read the Apostle Peter’s words to dispersed Christians in the first century. “As you come to him.” (1 Peter 2:4) Given the context of this phrase, we can see the beauty of God’s saving work and the nature...
As I read through the book of Acts this week I was struck by the joy that comes from the grace mission of God. In the fifteenth chapter of Acts, two missionaries, Paul and Barnabas, were traveling through cities where new Christians lived “describing in detail the conversion of Gentiles.”...
I remember when I heard the news that I would be a father. I was sitting in a seminary classroom just before the end of the lecture when I looked out the window and saw Beth driving into the campus parking lot. This was unusual. I knew something was up....