Week of November 23
on November 23rd, 2025
Our motivation for Christian service should be the love of Christ. Paul set this standard of living not based upon his lifestyle alone, but Christ’s. Now, that is a tall order, wouldn’t you say? The possessor of the life-changing gift of reconciliation with God will certainly find it a privilege to tell people about the gift of new life wherever we go. “Reconciliation is the removal of human enmit... Read More
Martin Luther . . . The Word of God Central to Reform
on November 22nd, 2025
[Originally published Oct. 31, 2025] In the several hundred years leading up to 1517, life looked bleak in many ways for the poorest of the commoners across Europe. Ninety-five percent of them were illiterate and worked the land, while five percent, the noble and landed gentry, own the ground they lived upon. Living in squalor in rude huts, stone single-room cottages, with sleeping loft above and ... Read More
Artificial Intelligence: Finding Human Hope Amid the Hype
on November 22nd, 2025
Our beliefs about who we are as human beings, and where we find our place in this universe, shape how we make our moral decisions. Humankind's distinctness goes without question among most Christians, because we have been created in God's image and given a purpose in life (Genesis 1:26-27). Herbert Simon offers a contrasting view of human origins and worth when he writes, "With Copernicus and Gal... Read More
Week of November 16
on November 17th, 2025
“The resurrection is the pivot on which all of Christianity turns and without which none of the other truths would much matter” (John MacArthur). Pastor MacArthur’s claim may seem to be rigid, especially in, what I call a “laissez faire age” for religious belief. You know, the mantra of this age is, “You believe what you want to believe, and I will believe what I choose to believe.” We sing about ... Read More
Week of November 9
on November 9th, 2025
We all make decisions. None of these choices, however, will be as significant as the one we make about Jesus. It shapes our entire worldview and determines our ultimate relationship with the Heavenly Father. This section of Mark’s gospel focuses on the judgment that people made for and against Jesus (14:1-15:47), and also the judgment God made for His Son (16:1-8). We dare not leave God’s judgment... Read More
Week of November 2
on November 2nd, 2025
Do you pray in advance of taking a journey? Think of Psalm 121 as an early prayer for traveling mercies! My family, when I was a child, always prayed together before taking a journey. We asked God to provide His watch care over us as we traveled. It is a pattern that I have continued throughout my entire adult life. We are not alone in this regard. Pilgrims going to Jerusalem may have sung this pr... Read More
Week of October 26
on October 26th, 2025
Pastor and author, Tim Keller, once said, “Suffering is unbearable if you aren’t certain that God is for you and with you” (Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering, 58). Sometimes, we reach a breaking point when we suffer and begin to wonder if God really cares for us, and then we pour out our hot emotion. Job similarly vents his frustration over the pain and suffering he is experiencing, his ... Read More
Week of October 19
on October 19th, 2025
“Father, teach us all how to wait” (Murray, Waiting on God). Life’s most significant moments are quite often bracketed by periods of waiting before something happens, but many of us find waiting on the Lord to be our greatest challenge. Can I get a witness? One of the hardest things to do is to wait for God’s response to our question “Why?” whenever we suffer. So, what do we do “in the meantime”? ... Read More
Week of October 12
on October 12th, 2025
“A born-again person ought to possess unspeakable peace in the spirit”(Watchman Nee). However, many sincere Christians are nagged by overwhelming burdens in life, despite the call to cast all our cares upon the Lord (1 Peter 5:7). The psalmist knew how to find and hold onto the peace of the Lord. Such tranquility may be ours as well, so let’s examine closely this focal psalm today. The psalm’s gen... Read More
Week of October 5
on October 5th, 2025
The psalmist writes that we are to praise God. “Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness.” (Psalm 150:2). Sometimes we simply feel like shouting out our praise to God, and we should do so! The psalmist knew this was a normal response to the God who was worthy of praise. God used his creative might to rescue people from their current distress (HCBC). Luke sho... Read More
James Henry Rushbrooke: Baptist Champion of Civility
on September 29th, 2025
Sometimes in history a person will appear upon a story’s pages and rise to meet seemingly insurmountable challenges in a remarkable way. Such was the impact of Henry Rushbrooke’s life and legacy, who wove peace from tatters of hatred after the world had gone to war. “Peace” seemed to be the middle name of the babe born that sunny day in Bethnal Green, London, on 29 July 1870. Son of devout Anglica... Read More
Civility is the Loving Bridge When Differences "Can't Be Negotiated Out"
on September 29th, 2025
Ninety thousand people assembled in a stadium at Glendale, Arizona, last Sunday, September 21, for the memorial service of the slain Christian, conservative activist, Charlie Kirk. Millions more viewed the service via live-stream and television broadcasts. Kirk, the 31-year-old husband and father of two small children, was killed with a single rifle shot while holding an outdoor debate at Utah Val... Read More