It has been said that “Death is no respecter of persons. Natural disasters are no respecter of nations.” Both statements have been demonstrated, yet again, in the aftermath of events that recently took place in Turkey and northwest Syria. A catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck that region on February 6, 2023. The death toll has surpassed forty-six thousand lives, as of this writing, and th...  Read More

“We have all things and abound; not because I have a good store of money in the bank, not because I have skill and wit with which to win my bread, but because the Lord is my shepherd,” says Charles Spurgeon. Psalm 23, to which the great English 19th-century preacher refers, represents the most widely recognized psalm in the psalter and provides a worshiper with reasons to be confident in God’s lov...  Read More

“No child of God sins to that degree as to make himself incapable of forgiveness.” King David knew this to be true. He once again prays for deliverance, but in this case, he confesses his sinfulness and need for God’s forgiveness (cf. Psalm 51). He expresses his confidence in God’s mercy in his worship. We will quickly notice that God’s forgiveness would be recognizable in the rescue from his foes...  Read More

Robert Frost once said, “Freedom lies in being bold.” It has always amazed me at the courage Paul demonstrated even as the cauldron of opposition grew increasingly hotter. He arrived in Corinth and began to preach Jesus to the Jews until they rebelled against his words and reviled him (cf. 1 Peter 2:21-25). He shook out his garments and boldly announced that their blood was on their own hands (cf....  Read More

The Lord said to Israel, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest,” which was a great comfort to a pilgrim people. Psalm 15 reminds you and me today that we are still pilgrims who are seeking God’s presence and that there are specific worship admission requirements. In fact, one Bible commentator writes, “Only those who are morally qualified may dwell with God” (HCBC). Does the prev...  Read More

Wilfred Thomason Grenfell was born on February 1865, at Parkgate, Cheshire, England to his parents - Algernon Sydney Grenfell, an educator and hospital chaplain, and Jane (Hutchinson) Grenfell. Grenfell grew up in the English countryside, swimming and fishing in the River Dee and hunting local birds along the river's banks.At fourteen, Wilfred attended the Marlborough College in Wiltshire, a board...  Read More

“Nothing whatever, whether great or small, can happen to a believer, without God’s ordering and permission. There is no such thing as ‘chance,’ ‘luck’ or ‘accident’ in the Christian’s journey through this world. All is arranged and appointed by God. And all things are “working together” for the believer’s good” (J.C. Ryle). God’s purposeful movement of His people is evident in our Bible readings t...  Read More

The poet Robert Frost once wrote, “good fences make good neighbors.” This maxim influences the beliefs and actions of many people when they consider the hot-button topic of immigration. This moral issue currently evokes visceral reactions, as well as intense political, legal, economic, social, and religious discussions.Despite the often-heated rhetoric divide that surrounds the topic, I find that ...  Read More

Be careful what you do with the rock that you must break in the quarry of despair. This beginning sentence sounds ominous, but I intend for it to open avenues of possibility that we may otherwise never consider. My opening words have been a lifetime in the crafting, and the ink has yet to dry fully, but I know that it bears truth. Our passage today does not really teach us to take the long view of...  Read More

The King James version of the Bible contains the oft-quoted verse, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for such is the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:16, KJV). The opening word means “to permit” or “to allow,” and we may easily capture the sense of Jesus’ words, but what do we do if children themselves are the cause of literal suffering?Late last week the news media broadcast t...  Read More

“Nothing bad will happen to me” represents the great lie about rebelling against God’s creation design. To put it bluntly: sin kills (Genesis 2:17). I realize that many contemporary folks, some of whom claim to be Christians, believe that they are only accountable to themselves. And, to raise the topic of moral accountability to God leads them to erect a wall of rejection. They simply do not belie...  Read More

New Year’s surprise! God did not create the world on the first day of January! Furthermore, while we may read Genesis 1:1-2:4 chronologically, more accurately it provides us with a theological introduction to all that we experience in God’s redemptive-history that is recorded in the Bible. How’s that for an eye-opening first statement for 2023?! I will follow with another amazing claim. This creat...  Read More