There was no more idyllic and comforting analogy that God used to employ to describe his people, Israel, than that of a vineyard. The vineyard was the symbol of rich blessing and prosperity as the grapes that would be grown there would be the source of luscious fruit and sustaining beverage for one’s life and …
Knowing Who You Are
Do you know who you are? Seems like a silly question, doesn’t it? Yet, a major problem in American life is the ever-growing number of people going through an “identity crisis”. You see, most people define who they are by what they do. Ask someone who they are and after they tell you their name …
The Children Will Suffer
While it is not well received these days to say anything nice about Russia, there is one thing that I learned from working with Slavic Gospel Association in taking three pastoral training trips to that land; they love children. In society itself, there is a high regard for children. That seems counter-intuitive to a communistic …
Dissatisfied with Manna
Those crazy Israelites, right? When Moses led them out of Egypt into freedom it was only the beginning of his trouble. The very first time trouble arose on the horizon at the Red Sea with the Egyptians bearing down on them they said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that …
The Importance of Language
There has been talk for many years now about making English the “official language” of the United States of America. While English may be the “de facto” language of the United States, it is not the officially recognized language. Resistance to this idea comes from those who think this would not be “inclusive” and that …
The Heart of the King
The book of Ezra begins with King Cyrus of Persia decreeing that the House of the Lord should be rebuilt in Jerusalem. This was to fulfill the words of Jeremiah over seventy years prior (found in Jer. 25:12, 13) that Babylon, whose King Nebuchadnezzar had torn down the temple and the city walls in 586 …
Push-Proof
Sometimes life pushes hard. I remember 35-40 years ago there was a lot of talk among sociologists and labor professionals that we were moving to a four-day 35-hour workweek. As Americans, it was said, we pushed too hard and worked too much and we needed to back away from the grind. Forty hours was just …
Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves
Jesus was the one who spoke these words. They are extremely familiar words yet I’m not sure they are sufficiently understood by the church. Jesus spoke these words in Matthew 10:16 “"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” Many have …
God Keeps His Appointments
Probably five times in my ministry, I have scheduled an appointment with someone and totally forgot about it. Perhaps I forgot to put it on the calendar or maybe I got distracted. I remember the time I was kept up three nights in a row by an alarm going off all night. By the third …
God in the Dock
In the course of human history, man has overwhelmingly acknowledged a divine being. That has not always been the God of the Bible but humanity, by a vast majority, has believed in some form of deity. Carl Sagan, the famous and flamboyant American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, and author was known for being …
A Shepherd's Heart 