Last week, we concluded with Jerry Bridges’ three precious things adoption means for the Christian:[1] We have been brought into close personal relationship with Him. We have confident and ready access to Him. We receive the full rights of sons. Let’s now illustrate these three meanings in various ways by taking a deep dive into the infamous story of the … Read More
What It Means to Be Adopted by God, Part 1 of 2
Long before ABBA was associated with a Swedish pop group, songs like Dancing Queen, and movies like Mama Mia, it was a Greek term akin to “Papa” or “Dad,” connoting “affectionate respect.”[1] Many of us know something of these intimate terms in that when we’ve called our father to share our heart, we begin by saying, “Dad…” Or when our … Read More
Reading Genesis 1 with Saint Augustine
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Genesis 1:1-3, NLT I love Genesis 1 and one of the cool things about … Read More
Baptism & Its Significance, Part 4 of 6
Why should it be done? This is really the most important issue. What exactly does baptism do? Why is it important? Does baptism make someone a Christian? Does it actually have the power to save someone? On these last two questions, the answer is no as our salvation is only by the sacrifice of Christ made for us on the … Read More
What I Learned from Gordon Lightfoot, Part 3 of 3
“Writing songs is about finding the time, because it’s an isolated thing. You need to lock yourself in a room to do it, in one shape or another, whether it’s an empty house or hotel room.” Gordon Lightfoot in Nicholas Jennings, Lightfoot (Viking, 2017), 88. I mentioned in Part 1 that, among other things, Lightfoot and I share a connection … Read More
Remember, You’ve Got a Name
Like the pine trees lining the winding road I got a name, I got a name… Like the fool I am and I’ll always be I’ve got a dream, I’ve got a dream… Moving me down the highway, rolling me down the highway Moving ahead so life won’t pass me by —Jim Croce, I Got a Name Sheryl Crow says, … Read More
The Father Heart of God
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. … Read More
The God Who is With Us and Beside Us
For many of us, the meaning of Jesus’ name Emmanuel, God with us, is one of our favorite parts of the Christmas story. That the incarnate Son of the God, the Maker of the Universe, would come to earth in flesh to dwell (John 1:14)—literally “tabernacle”—with us both blows our minds and melts our hearts. In reading Ian Provan’s Seriously … Read More
The Double Helix of Faith and Family, Part 3 of 4: Important Caveats
I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. -2 Tim. 1:5, NLT (words in bold, mine) Regarding passing on a healthy spiritual legacy, the main point we’ve been trying to make and illustrate from the “family is a conduit … Read More
Focus for Fall: Big Lessons from Small Creatures, Part 5 of 5
Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer; the rock badgers are a people not mighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs; the locusts have no king, yet all of them march in rank; the lizard you can take in your hands, … Read More