Writing to Help You Find and Share the Hope of Jesus
In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Jesus shared a story of a servant who owed his king an impossible debt. Jesus said his debt was ten thousand talents (Matt 18:24). Now, one talent alone was an incredibly large amount. It was about twenty years wages for a typical laborer at that time. So 10,000 talents … Continue reading Our Impossible Debt
“[Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt.” Luke 18:9 Jesus warned us about self-righteousness. He made it clear to us that trusting in our own righteousness would never bring us into a right relationship with God. He also made the connection that … Continue reading The Logic Of Self-Righteousness
“[S]eek to show hospitality.”Romans 12:13 When my wife and I moved to South Dakota in 2004, I was not following Jesus. My wife Marie was really the only reason I went to church then. At Marie’s prompting, we visited church after church. We would slip in and out each Sunday without anyone ever really engaging … Continue reading Compelled To Welcome: Hospitality And The Great Commission
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
“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”Isaiah 55:2 Cool Ranch Doritos and Hot Tamales. These are my two favorite junk foods. I could eat them all day, every day. They taste amazing, but I know they have no nutritional value. If … Continue reading Bible Sprinkles
Yesterday I finished reading The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson. This insightful book provides an intimate look at British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, his family, and his cabinet during the German bombings, or “Blitz”, of England prior to the United States’ entry into World War II. One of Churchcill’s most remembered traits, of … Continue reading The Right Words for the Right Moment
A few months ago, we began using a new program at ATLAS (the ministry I work with) that helps us track donations, manage contacts, send emails, and many other things. One of the features included in the program is something called an Ahern Audit. This feature scans your outgoing correspondence and tells you two things. … Continue reading Take the “You Test”
“Let us therefore strive to enter [God’s] rest”Hebrews 4:11 “We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (Hebrews 2:1) “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3) In other words, don’t miss this. That’s the urgent cry of the book of … Continue reading Strive to Enter God’s Rest – 5 Helps to Continue Believing the Gospel
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.1 Corinthians 15:3-4 One fun thing I enjoy about being a dad is trying to pass on … Continue reading First Importance
A Thrill of Hope 