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It’s the End of the World
And we’re still HERE? How come the Mayans don’t know any more about the end of the world than dispensational Christians?
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Why Conversations After Tragedy Never Happen
There are SOME conversations that happen after tragedies, but not enough. Think of the conversations surrounding the tragedy of Newtown. Gun control. Mental health. School safety. Judicial system. Police protection. On and on we could go. But then we get to the one. Evil. Which is why we don’t get around to these conversations. When we have a culture that bases…
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The Sure Thing
16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic. (Isaiah 28:16, NIV) What God lays down as a foundation is the sure thing. Israel had been dealing with any other way to…
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Help in Prayer
Growing up as a Pentecostal it was assumed you just prayed. There were times we might be taught prayer, as in a “life” of prayer, but when it came to actual praying a good Pentecostal just closed their eyes and let ‘er rip. To pray someone else’s words was simply, well, backslidden. You were supposed to know God. Over the years I learned…
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Breaking the Heart of God
John 3:16-21 was in our Advent reading for yesterday. What great HOPE… and what great disappointment… can be found in these few verses! There is the great hope of God’s love. He loved this world so much he gave his son. The hope of this world is LIFE in Christ. Jesus’ intention is not to condemn. These are incredible words. “God…
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The Way of Peace is Found in Following the Prince of Peace
One of our Advent readings today is Eph. 6:10-20. It’s one we, as Pentecostals, love. Spiritual warfare. Here is the ironic thing I find in this passage and our current attitude in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting. On the one hand I’m fairly sure I could get almost 100 percent agreement from my fellow Pentecostals that we need…
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Kingdom Expectation Demands Change
The pro-life ethic is possible. It is not something laid out by Jesus and just left in the text of Matthew’s gospel. Peter picks it up (as do the other New Testament writers) and calls on the reader to understand the need for change. We do NOT have to live in the grip of this world. We do not need…
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A Pro-Life Ethic and Avoiding Bumper Sticker Theology
Over the past few months I have worked at what I am calling a true “pro-life” ethic. This is an ethic I believe can be sustained as a Christian. It is also an ethic that I believe cannot be labeled “liberal” or “conservative,” “Democrat” or “Republican.” In the wake of the school shootings in Connecticut, I have been working through…
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CAN We Live Differently?
In light of the violence of this world, I offered some thoughts yesterday regarding the fact we don’t need to live this way. There is a way that is different. But the question to us, as believers, is this: CAN we? Do we WANT to? I see as many believers posting things about “shooting back” as I do believers who…
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It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way
The horror of Newtown, CT needs to stay with us. It was a day when even the President couldn’t get through his remarks because of the pain. This horror needs to stay with us because we need to have this conversation no one is willing to have. We are ready to blame others. For those on the NRA side, there will…
