By grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone
Like it or not (and I don’t), Pastor Joel Osteen has become the church’s spokesman. I guess that comes with being pastor of the nation’s largest church. Lakewood Church in Houston has around 50,000 members. Osteen’s books (It’s Your Time, Become a Better You, Your Best Life Now, and Everyday a Friday) have made him […]
When she came down the stairs for breakfast, I told her she’d kept me up all night. Claire quizzically looked at me. Our 18 year old daughter hadn’t done anything wrong. The home was at peace the night before; it was quiet through the night. I had risen around 2 a.m. to go to the […]
The mailer started out well: “One death and one resurrection brought us one Savior to rescue us from…” You’ve seen them before. Churches send out oversized postcards to those in their zip code inviting them to a special service or a special seminar. The one I’m quoting from was an invitation to Easter Sunday. But […]
I still remember “liver and onion” night as a child. We probably didn’t eat it that often but it seemed like it showed up at dinner every few weeks. I can still remember the “tub” it came in from the store. I can still remember looking at the reddish-brown “blob” as it was thrown into […]
Marx, Freud, and Darwin have been dead a long time but their disciples still advance their cause. This past week, our local newspaper (The News Tribune, March 21, 2012) ran an editorial from the Detroit Free Press. It was entitled “Evolving Opinions on Evolution.” They were reacting to a reposting of a Gallup Poll that […]
I was so excited to get my first check, after all, I didn’t even own a bed. Rent was $525. When you divide that by the other five (all of us buddies who had just graduated from Pacific Lutheran University) each share was just $87.50 per month. But when you were just starting out, every […]
I enjoy reading our paper’s “Letters to the Editor.” It provides a snapshot of what’s going on out there—a window into society’s soul. But one of this morning’s editorials (TNT, 2-29) provided a window into the soul of a local, mainline church. And I, for one, did not enjoy the view. The editorial was entitled: […]
On one end the psalmist says, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’” (Ps. 122:1). On the other end were the people of Malachi’s day who had a different thought about going to God’s house, “What a weariness this is” (Mal. 1:13). On one end […]
Have you seen it? It is difficult to describe. But if you look close, it’s almost always there. Let me back up first; back up to an Old Testament minor prophet. Hosea prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel, just before its captivity by Assyria in 722 B.C. As a vivid object lesson, God tells […]
“Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him?” declared Pharaoh in Exodus 5:2. “This day I defy the ranks of Israel,” boasted Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:10. “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost […]
Times were difficult in the days of Daniel. Judah had been overrun by Babylon. Much of the nation had been deported—Daniel included. Babylon was quite proud she had destroyed Jerusalem and raided the temple of God. The people of God were defeated and discouraged. Was Marduk (the chief god of Babylon) stronger than God? In […]
I know why you speak of rights, fairness, and equality whenever you make your case for same-sex marriage. Just 20 years ago, your side was losing the debate. Then, like a struggling business or a losing sport’s team, you repackaged yourselves. Rather then portraying homosexuality as a deviant and promiscuous sexual minority, you began presenting […]