When Jesus saw the large crowd in Matthew 14, He had compassion on them. He took time to care for them and heal them. When it was time to eat, He turned to His disciples and gave them a simple directive. You feed them, and the disciples found the resources to do just that with a bit of supernatural help. Jesus still calls us to serve the lost, lonely, hopeless, and hurting. He is inviting you to bring your limited... Read more
In 2015, Denzel Washington was the commencement speaker at a Dilliard University graduation ceremony. The first point in his speech is to put God first, and the last point is to pray a prayer of thanksgiving to God every day. The address has found its way into Instagram Reels and Tik Toks and many people have asked if Denzel Washington is a Christian. Son of a Preacher Man Denzel was born on December 28, 1954, the son of an ordained... Read more
Image by Pawel Kozera from Pixabay Whenever Christians talk about the love part of Jesus’ teaching, someone will accuse that the truth is being watered down. Jesus was and remains a complex person. He was full of love and truth, and Christians should remember that His harshest criticism was spoken to the religious elite of His day. You Shouldn’t Fix What Isn’t Broken Imagine being so confident in understanding God’s word that you miss God in the flesh. But before... Read more
When Jesus becomes the Lord of our life, we become new creations. Like His disciples, we, too, have heard and believed the words of life. Out of the overflow of our hearts, our mouths speak. What do the words you say reveal about your heart? Clearing Out the Old Self No one is perfect. There will be times as a parent, a spouse, a child, a friend, or a co-worker when you speak according to the old self. Words... Read more
Followers of Jesus are called to be salt and light to the world. We carry hope in our words and our deeds. Let us be like the early church and get into good trouble rather than headlines filled with our battles and failures. Good Trouble In Acts 17, Paul and Silas find themselves accused of causing chaos to the whole world. Day after day, they proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ. And sick people were healed, blind people could... Read more
The last soil in the parable of the sower is the good soil. Jesus describes this soil as one that produces more than is expected. Jesus’s followers should expect their life and heart to reflect this bountiful harvest of good. Reaping and Sowing I have been going through the four different soils of the heart found in Matthew 13. If you have not read the first three soils, you can look back at my earlier posts. The last soil is... Read more
Image by Ashish Choudhary from Pixabay In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a parable about sowing seeds. The seeds fall on different soils. These soils represent the heart’s spiritual condition, and your heart’s state will determine if you can hear God speak. This blog will focus on the third condition, the soil full of weeds and thorns. This is the third in a series on Matthew 13. You can read the first here. And the second one is here. Thorns Drain... Read more
Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a parable about sowing seeds. The seeds fall on different soils. These soils represent the heart’s spiritual condition, and your heart’s state will determine if you can hear God speak. This blog will focus on the second condition, the shallow soil. This is the second in a series on Matthew 13. You can read the first here. Believe in Your Heart Jesus is using a common experience to explain a... Read more
In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a parable about sowing seeds. The seeds fall on different soils. These soils represent the heart’s spiritual condition, and your heart’s state will determine if you can hear God speak. This blog will focus on the first condition, the hardened path. Hard as a Rock Growing up in central Texas, I learned the difficulty of digging through rocky soil. I spent time with my dad using post-hole diggers to clear out the loose dirt, but... Read more
Image by Marisa Sias from Pixabay For the second entry in the “Books Pastors Should Read in 2023”, my pick is Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin. Seth is a successful author and expert in the field of marketing. Linchpin is not written from a theological standpoint, but the main argument applies to the world of the church, similarly to modern business. Seth argues that everyone should do their utmost to use their unique talents, skills, and knowledge in their work... Read more
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