There are not many things that disturb me more than passages taken out of context and taught incorrectly (#PHIL4:13, #MATT18:20). Another one of those passages is when Jesus is preaching the sermon on the mount. “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also” (Matt. 5:39).…

Don’t you love it when the bad guy gets caught monologuing? He rambles on about his plan or how much he hates the hero, all the while giving up plot clues and time for the hero to escape. There are three times in the New Testament when enemies of the cause of Christ were caught monologuing. These events were very profound, and…

You might be one of them, one of the many that take the opportunity of a new year to evaluate their health. This is not a bad idea but consider another point.  How is your teaching? Specifically, what you teach. Is it healthy? We have all heard or read about “sound doctrine.” The word hugiaino, translated “sound,” literally means healthy in the…

Here it is! The end of the year! With it comes all the countdowns and end of the year reflections. One of the year-end traditions is Time Magazine’s Person of the Year that highlights that year’s most influential person. You may not notice it but many notable people have been on the cover of the magazine. From Mahatma Gandhi (1930) and Winston…

Have you ever watched a terribly predictable movie? After twenty minutes, or less, the plot rears its boring head and you know everything that is going to happen. It wasn’t your keen sense of deduction or mental prowess that ferreted out the details. In the place of subtle foreshadowing, these movies leave a trail of whole loaves instead of crumbs. Hallmark is…

“I find it easy to portray a businessman. Being bland, rather cruel and incompetent comes naturally to me” (John Cleese). It is easy to be mean, and the world makes it easier. Life seems to be a gauntlet of rude awakenings, playground politics, the rage of rush hour, the push-and-shove along the corporate ladder, and the snippy bickering of a thousand petty…

There are those who would preach and praise God for His boundless love and grace. For both of those I am eternally thankful. However, some use words like reckless and unconditional to describe these attributes of God. These words go beyond the scope of what the Bible says. God is certainly not reckless with anything He does, and there are conditions in…

Who am I? This a common question. As we grow and mature into adulthood, it is important to ask this. We are taking steps and making choices that solidify a picture of self in our minds. It also becomes what we portray to others. Along the way there are things that would cause us to ask that question again: going to college,…