Do we need another Jesus, another gospel?
“Give Me That Old Time Religion” is a song we rarely hear today because few seem to want it. We’d rather hear a rendition of “Give Me That Comfortable and Contemporary Gospel.”
It's simple: Love God, love people, hate sin
Love God, hate sin. Even as I write these words, I run the risk of alienating those who might read them, but I ask you to bear with me as I explain.
PASTOR COLUMN - Among Christianity's gifts: Valuing girls
What positive difference has Christianity made in history? Well, there are many answers. Today we'll look at one: the influence of Christianity has changed our valuation of female children.In the early years of Christianity, when it was a fledgling group
PASTOR COLUMN - Focus on Jesus to see who you really are
One question that seems to plague us is, "who am I?"Everyone has periods when we try to figure out who we are. There are certain transitional moments, such as when people leave behind their parents' faith and develop their own. And then there are yimes wh
Why did Jesus curse the fig tree?
Mark 11:12-14 tells us Jesus cursed a fig tree that had no figs. Verses 15-18 tell that Jesus next "cast out" money changers and animals from the Temple precincts. Following that episode, verses 19-23 tell the result of Jesus cursing the fig tree: it was
PASTOR COLUMN - Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good
Why are there so many churches?" It's a great question and one I get asked often. It's not very theological, but my question in response is, "Why are there so many restaurants?" The answer to both is simple - flavor. Before you think I'm suggesting we all
PASTOR COLUMN - Honor them by remembering Him
This weekend, as we pause to pay tribute to all those who have given their lives in our service, may we remember that the essence of what they did was to act in the place of and preserve the
PASTOR COLUMN - Jesus offers us a living relationship
I'm not very religious," is a comment we may hear often. We might hear it spoken when we invite others to pray with us, when we express thanks to God for a blessing, or when we encourage someone to place his or her trust in the Lord.It is possible to conf
PASTOR COLUMN - The love of mothers offers us a picture of God, too
A simple prayer for anyone might be, "Dear God, I want to be more like you."For the past 40 to 50 years, a significant amount of writing has been done on the way we view God, particularly as it relates to what gender we perceive God to be.Many of us have
PASTOR COLUMN - Come on! You're good enough for God
Adam Guettel, grandson of Richard Rodgers of musical fame and the writer of musicals in his own right, says "I don't write about winners. I write about people."We could say the same for the Bible. Jacob's name actually means "tricky."
