Writing to Help You Find and Share the Hope of Jesus
My girls love big stories. Like me, they love to read and watch epic adventures. Their first taste of big stories came from Veggie Tales, which was then followed by Pixar’s Cars. As we emerged from the Cars phase (and let me tell you, this was a significant phase at our house), we discovered The … Continue reading Great Stories For The Greatest Story: My Most Frequent Prayer for My Daughters
"But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one."2 Thessalonians 3:3 In C.S. Lewis’ Prince Caspian, Peter, Edward, Susan, and Lucy returned to Narnia for the first time since their adventure in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, only to find Narnia being ruled by an evil … Continue reading Faithful ≠ Predictable
Pray without ceasing1 Thessalonians 5:17 When my family and I moved back to Minnesota from South Dakota in 2012, we were searching for a house and there was one my wife Marie and I liked but wasn’t on the market yet. Our realtor knew the owners were thinking about listing it though, so she showed … Continue reading In Every Season – Pray
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.Colossians 1:13-14 NOTE: This post was adapted from a sermon I shared for The Fortress's weekly gathering at Harvest Church on June 16, 2021. In Marvel’s … Continue reading The Awe That Only Rescue Can Bring
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kindsJames 1:2 There are many ways Jesus has called his followers to live differently than the rest of the world. Just a few examples include: Live holy lives as our Father in heaven is holy (Matt. 5:48, 1 Peter 1:15), Live for God’s … Continue reading From Facts in Our Heads to Treasure in Our Hearts: God’s Joy-Producing Work In Our Trials
The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.Proverbs 15:8 Ephesians 5:10 has an important command for those who are following Jesus. It calls us to "discern what is pleasing to the Lord," with the point being that we would then do what pleases him. One thing God … Continue reading “He Likes To Be Asked”: God Is Pleased By Your Prayer
In a previous career, I worked with historic property owners who were looking to restore and maintain their historic buildings. This meant I got a lot of behind-the-scenes tours in many cool, unique old buildings. Occasionally, I’d visit a building that looked fine at distance from the outside. But once I got up close and … Continue reading Self-Sought Holiness Always Crumbles
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”Revelation 5:12 John the Baptist says to the priests and Levites in John 1:26-27, “[A]mong you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I … Continue reading The Worthiness Of Jesus Lived Out For The Unworthy
"As you sent me into the world, So I have sent them into the world."John 17:18 John 13-17 provides us with an intimate look at Jesus’ final meeting with his disciples before his crucifixion. It’s telling that as Jesus prepared the disciples for his departure, he made one thing very clear to them: trials, tribulation, … Continue reading Mission Readiness for Woefully Weak Witnesses: How Jesus Prepares Us To Be Sent
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.John 3:16 In a message on Exodus 14, Pastor Tim Keller once shared how 20th-Century Welsh minister Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones had a simple diagnostic question he would use to help determine where … Continue reading Believe: The Burden-Breaking Call of Jesus
A Thrill of Hope 