Writing to Help You Find and Share the Hope of Jesus
“[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
A common phrase we hear today is “God loves you exactly as you are.” This statement is both 100 percent correct, yet so often used in 100 percent the wrong way. On one hand, this statement is absolutely true. God absolutely loves you exactly the way you are right now. He knew you and the … Continue reading Since God Loves You As You Are, He Won’t Leave You As You Are
“For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles - assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you.”Ephesians 3:1-2 We are all stewards. We’ve all been given something that doesn’t belong to us. A steward is someone who manages … Continue reading Stewarding Grace By Multiplying Grace
My Grandma passed away on March 27, 2022. She was an amazing lady who loved Jesus and loved people. Below is a copy of the remarks I gave at her funeral on April 8, 2022. I understand more of the grace and faithfulness of Jesus today because of her. The best thing I can say … Continue reading The Beauty Of A Simple, Faithful Life
God places us in every one of our locations and circumstances so that we might be instruments of his grace to the world around us. One time in a high school baseball game I was playing in, my team just needed one more out to win. I was playing right field when my coach moved … Continue reading Instruments of Grace
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
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
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
My family and I are heading up to northern Minnesota on Saturday for a week-long vacation. The past few weeks I’ve tried to think through what it means to rest well on vacation. Here are five thoughts to help me (and maybe you) honor God by resting well on vacation. Actually Rest From Your Work … Continue reading Believe and Rest: Five Thoughts On Resting Well On Vacation
During the eight years we lived in Pierre, SD, one of the things that captivated us about the area was the beauty of the Missouri River. Whenever we drove back to Pierre from visiting family in Minnesota, we were excited when the long, flat, five-hour drive was finally interrupted by beautiful rolling hills and the … Continue reading From Drought to Flood
A Thrill of Hope 