The Comfort of God
|One of the Beatitudes is “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). While I believe that phrasing this comfort as something received in the future … Continued
The Need to Reaffirm (The Nicene Creed Part 5)
|2025 stands as the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, but it doesn’t stand as the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed that serves as one of our church’s … Continued
Work Smarter, Not Harder
|A number of years ago I was introduced to the expression, “Work smarter, not harder.” Though the person who shared it at that moment was not exactly known for his … Continued
The Ascension of Jesus – An Event So Nice Luke Narrated It Twice!
|Growing up I heard people call New York City, “The city so nice, they named it twice.” A little bit of research on that saying led me to discover that … Continued
God is Still With Us
|During the Christmas season we proclaim (and sing!) that Jesus is Emmanuel/Immanuel (these words mean the same and come from how it is transliterated into English from Hebrew – Immanuel … Continued
Celebrating Pentecost and the Holy Spirit with the Council of Constantinople
|This Sunday (May 28) is Pentecost Sunday, the day Christians remember that the ascended Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit upon the church as recorded in Acts 2. The arrival … Continued
Don’t Forget about Ascension Day
|Jesus’s birth, life, death, and resurrection are all important events that Christians talk about and celebrate; however, Jesus’s ascension into heaven is rarely discussed – sometimes either overlooking it completely … Continued
You Can’t Do It! Reflections on the Ten Commandments
|As I have spent the last couple of months reading and reflecting on the Ten Commandments while writing this series of blogs, I have been reminded again that I have … Continued
The Holy Spirit in the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed
|While the Apostles’ Creed is important for the church due to its ancient roots and wide geographic use, it is not the only confession or creed of the church. Another … Continued
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and the Unpardonable Sin
|I have often been asked about what Jesus declares is the “unpardonable sin” – blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28-30, and Luke 12:10). Specifically, people wonder why … Continued
7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit
|The last post provided some thoughts on the topic of spiritual gifts. As I was researching that subject, I came across some references to the seven gifts of the Holy … Continued
10 Thoughts on Spiritual Gifts
|Over the past 100 years, there has been increased attention on the topic of spiritual gifts in the American church. Some of this attention comes from the rise of Pentecostal … Continued
The Gift of the Holy Spirit
|While there is a lot of discussion about various “spiritual gifts” that are given through the Holy Spirit to believers, we should not forget that the Holy Spirit Himself is … Continued