Apprentice 2 Jesus

Lent

  • Prophesying False Hope

    Pick the hot social issue of the day. Pick the hot button issue of any type in our current time. Think of the rhetoric you hear on blogs and other forms of media. On any issue, no matter the “side,” more often than not you will hear opinion. Sometimes, as Christians, it may have some… Read more

  • Eyes that fail to see

    18 Don’t you have eyes? Why can’t you see? Don’t you have ears? Why can’t you hear? Don’t you remember? (Mark 8:18, CEB) A Prayer of Confession Lord, I am too often with the disciples on this one. You are trying to teach, and you generously give me lesson after lesson, yet when you quiz me… Read more

  • The Lesson of the Underwear

    These are days when I am fascinated by English translations and wish I knew Hebrew. (And I know at least TWO comments I will get on that statement alone.) Jeremiah is part of our Lenten reading and the symbolic things Jeremiah had to do were… um… interesting. This one from Jeremiah 13 is really interesting. First, the… Read more

  • The Place of Freedom

    31 Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teaching. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32, CEB) “Truth” is not an acknowledgement of something. We will find freedom when we are faithful to follow Christ. Truth is found… Read more

  • A Prayer for Revival and Reform

    14 Please come back, God of heavenly forces! Look down from heaven and perceive it! Attend to this vine, 15     this root that you planted with your strong hand, this son whom you secured as your very own. 16 It is burned with fire. It is chopped down. They die at the rebuke coming from you. 17 Let your… Read more

  • The Need to be WITH God

    3 Restore us, God! Make your face shine so that we can be saved! (Ps. 80:3, CEB) We need the face of God to shine on us once again. We need HIS will in our lives once again. Lent is a time for evaluation. It is a period of examination. We come up short so often.… Read more

  • The Warm Fuzzies and Fear

    It’s probably best to avoid Jeremiah in your Lenten reading if you’re into the warm fuzzy God stuff. As a matter of fact, you will need to avoid the Romans 3 reading for today as well. In fact, close your eyes, connect your middle finger with your thumb, and just start singing “Kumbaya.” If your… Read more

  • Please Try Another Religion

    Following Christ is not the cream puff, cotton candy, all sugar stuff we’ve seen promoted in our current culture. It is not about just “hangin’” with the “crew” (or whatever slang is being used in this 24 hour period). Following Christ is not a hangout. He is LIFE. He does not lie to you about… Read more

  • Sexual Sin

    The particular reading guide I am using for Lent breaks down a reading of the early chapters of Romans. I really don’t like breaking down the first three chapters into “bite size” pieces because it really leads to bad small group discussions. If we stick with Romans 1, the inevitable discussion turns to sexual sin.… Read more

  • Broken Cisterns

    “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. (Jer. 2:13, NIV) We exchange the glory of God for our own glory. We insert our own efforts and abilities in where the grace of God and the… Read more