Connecting a Baby with the Stars

“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they … Read More

The After Party’s Impact

Our Mantua Creek EPC church plant just finished hosting The After Party, a six-session course about politics, partisanship, division in our day, and how these affect us. I was so encouraged by the content and the diversity of folks who attended. We had fifteen live, three online, and eight of those who attended live were not from our church. Two … Read More

Reflections on Waiting, Sources of Empowerment, and Uncertainty

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he set out, not knowing where he was going. Heb. 11:8, NRSVUE It’s hard to wait… This is true for any of us whether we’re two or 82. Whether we’re looking for employment or the next chance … Read More

Christmas Truth

Hi friends, I wrote the following poem 20 years ago the day after Christmas. It’s called “Christmas Truth” and I’ve packaged it here between two great verses of Scripture. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6, ESV Wise men left their homes … Read More

Nuclear Family, 2 of 2

What of Jamie Smith’s critique from Part 1 that many nuclear families are “closed, self-sufficient, autonomous” units with little concern for others, including a church or spiritual family? He’s right but the reasons for this are myriad and complex and certainly not an indictment of the traditional family itself. Further, being self-sufficient isn’t always bad. Paul tells us to “bear … Read More

Why I Believe Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Part 2 of 3

“Assessing… [the historical worth of the gospels] can be done, if at all, only by the kind of painstaking historical work which I and others have attempted… I simply record it as my conviction that the four canonical gospels, broadly speaking, present a portrait of Jesus of Nazareth which is firmly grounded in real history.” N.T. Wright in Simply Christian: … Read More

Why I Believe Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Part 1 of 3

When I was a sophomore at Lancaster Bible College, I had the privilege of taking a philosophy class from the school’s most gifted and popular professor at the time. For reasons I won’t go into here, I’ll just call him Bob. Bob had a gift for making difficult subjects like epistemology (the study of how we know stuff) clear and … Read More

Getting Involved in Spiritual Transformation, Part 4 of 4

“The wicked are not so,but are like chaff that the wind drives away.Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,but the way of the wicked will perish.” Psalm 1:6, ESV No one particularly likes the term “wicked” or thoughts regarding their destiny. In fact, … Read More

Ten Foundational Beliefs for Building a Christian Legacy, Part 2 of 2

Last week, along with going to a good church—where often one first learns to belong and then believe, we suggested ten essential beliefs for building a Christian life and legacy. In part 1 we noted the first five—hope, grace, humility, the fear of the Lord, and sin—and here are the remaining five: Spirituality, a word that can mean many things … Read More

How a Closer Look at a Christmas Prophecy Could Transform Your New Year

When Ahaz, son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin of Syriaa and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, set out to attack Jerusalem…. The news had come to the royal court of Judah: “Syria is allied with Israel against us!” So the hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, … Read More