One of the greatest and most recognizable sermons in history is the Sermon on the Mount, the teachings of Jesus found in Matthew 5-7. One of the most famous parts of that sermon is what we call the Beatitudes, which comes from the Latin word for “blessings.” The kinds of people listed here are “blessed,”…
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Lessons and studies from the Bible
A Prayer That Can Shake the World
We looked previously at Acts 4, where we saw Peter and John heal a man, only to get arrested for doing so. They were then told to stop talking about Jesus and were released from prison, basically because the religious leaders didn’t know what to do with them. But what did Peter and John do…
Read MoreHaving the Courage to Speak
Of all the characters in the movie, “The Wizard of Oz,” my favorite has always been the Cowardly Lion. And probably my favorite thing about him is his speech about courage. You know, “What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk?…
Read MoreStanding on Your Convictions
It’s more important than ever for believers to stand on our convictions, even when there may be consequences for doing so. By “conviction,” I’m talking about a firmly held belief about God or his truth. I’m talking about taking a stand for God even if that stand is unpopular or brings pain. At some point,…
Read MoreLiving for God in a Godless World
When I served at Tapestry Church several years ago, the first place we met was a bar. We had to show up early to set up our equipment, and that meant changing the bar into a place of worship. We weren’t perfect at doing that. I preached one Sunday on being the light of the…
Read MoreThe God of Wonder
In October, we had the great fortune of joining our daughter, Tori, on a visit to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. It was an amazing trip, probably highlighted by watching bison walk so close to the car that we could have reached out and touched them. I didn’t do that. I wanted to! But…
Read MoreThe Providence of God
Does God have a plan? Are the things happening around me part of some grand scheme of God’s? Or is this world spinning out of control? Those are legitimate questions at any time, but especially today. It’s easy to feel like things are out of control. But are they? As we continue our look at…
Read MoreThe God of Perfect Love
Merry Christmas! It’s finally here, the day we celebrate the birth of a little baby in the tiny village of Bethlehem all those years ago. Every December, I sit down and watch all of the old Christmas TV specials I watched as a kid. You know, shows like “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed…
Read MoreThe God of Perfect Justice
Many people think of God as some kindly, jolly old St. Nicholas, the man upstairs who loves everyone and wants everyone to be happy all the time. Whatever you want to do, whoever you want to be is fine with him. Just love one another and make people happy the way he does, and you’ll…
Read MoreGod is Great; But is He Good?
When I was a child, I loved to read comic books. Marvel, DC, it didn’t matter, I read them all. Of course, I had my favorites, but one superhero that almost everyone liked was Superman. He had super-strength, super-speed, x-ray vision, and he was invincible. But sometimes I would think, what if Superman, with all…
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