What Did You Even Ask?

The air was too thick to breathe and too thin to drink. Looking at the grass, which was now less than an inch from his head, his quivering arms finally gave out. Only 12 pushups, not 20. The recruit muttered to himself, “How am I ever going to do more pushups?” Like a...

But God Raised Him From the Dead

I remember my first office. No longer living in a cubicle, the trappings of the office were nice. It would have been easy to let it go to my head. The office didn’t exist as a reward but as a tool to do my job more effectively. The most important part was the job. The...

How Do I Love Thee?

…let me count the ways. Those are the opening words of Elizabeth Browning’s 43 sonnet. What strikes me as odd about the sonnet is that she described her emotions, but she didn’t list any actions to show how she loved. I don’t doubt she loved deeply, but if her love...

If Not Now, Then When?

When is the best time to plant a tree? Several years ago. When is the next best time? Right now. If you keep putting off planting a tree, it will never grow. So if you are thinking about planting a tree, now is better than never. In Acts 8:36, the Ethiopian eunuch...

It Doesn’t Make Sense…At First

It was a new job outside my career field. That meant learning new acronyms and new regulations. It also meant dealing with a lot more civilians. At first, so much didn’t make sense. By the time I left the assignment, I had a firm grasp of what didn’t make sense at...

Good Enough for Government Work

Lowest cost, technically acceptable. That is what we were told to look for, and it bothered me. The meaning of “good enough for government work” has really gone downhill. It now means as cheap as possible and barely able to do the job. The Bible is not the product of...

Most Likely to Fail

When I was in high school, the end of the year brought the superlatives. Someone made a list with, “Most likely to ____.” Generally, they were positive and highlighted positive future accomplishments. Others were just cruel, “Most likely to fail.” Cruel. During Jesus’...

If you get angry, count to ten…

Mark Twain’s version was, “When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear.” Are Christians ever allowed to get that angry? In Acts 13:6–12, we see Paul get angry. Elymas, a false prophet, knowingly placed himself between the gospel message and a searching soul....

I’ll Sell You Two Surgical Masks for $200

Price-gouging means that someone offers little in exchange for much. It is not a new concept. Faithful Jews were coming to the temple to offer God worship. Unfaithful Jews were selling over-priced offerings of oxen, sheep, pigeons, and even official money with a...

A Simple Recipe

Wrap the potato in aluminum foil. Preheat the oven. Stick the wrapped potato into the oven. How easy is that? Only two ingredients: potato and aluminum. After it’s cooked, you can add butter, or sour cream, or whatever else to taste. If you follow this recipe, you...

New Testament

Reading Between the Lines

Reading Between the Lines

Have you ever been told, “Read between the line.”? Sometimes it is a subtle social cue, like not being invited to a wedding. Other times it is painfully obvious, like someone making a statement by wearing white after labor day…. Do we need to read between the lines to...

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Their Hope of Gain was Gone

Their Hope of Gain was Gone

Money makes the world go ‘round. Might makes right. The ends justify the means. These statements have a semblance of wisdom and are confirmed by our historical bias. But are such sentiments really true? Is there something more important than money, power, or...

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Looking for a Place of Prayer

Looking for a Place of Prayer

The new year is upon us. Perhaps you are reviewing this past year. Maybe you are resolving yourself to the next. In all of the flurry of our daily lives, make time for quiet time. When you feel crushed by compounding and increasingly urgent priorities, push back and...

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Old Testament

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