Sinner, Follower of Christ, Husband, Father, Son, Church Planter, Professor, Writer, Speaker, Mentor and Coach, and did I say Sinner?
15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you? Acts 19:15 A fascinating passage. In my mind, Acts 19:11-20 is one of the more extraordinary passages in the entire book of Acts. It starts out by telling us that God was doing “extraordinary miracles” by the the … More I Want to be Known in Hell.
Saturday is for Thinking Part of the continuing series called “The Poetry Project”. The poetry project is a periodic series that appears on the blog as a part of my daily devotions in the psalms. When time allows and “inspiration” hits, I attempt to give a meditative reflection on a psalm in a poetic form. Never think … More Really God?
Merry Christmas 2019 Our son was born in California on December 10th. The next year we surprised mom and dad by flying cross-country and wrapping up one-year old Marty III in an afghan blanket my mother had crocheted and presenting him to them for the first time. It was a great surprise and brought great … More Christmas Surprises are the Best
If you live in snow country you might find it difficult to interact with neighbors for the next 5 months or more. When I lived in the Chicago area, it wasn’t uncommon to be putting a parka on children from Mid-October to the end of March. Sure there were exceptions, but it can be difficult … More Winter Strategies to Engage with Neighbors
Read Psalm 38 God’s words are authoritative. Mine are not. Sometimes however, trying to put God’s word’s in our own “paraphrase” can be helpful at getting to a deeper understanding of God’s authoritative standard. In the following lines I have tried to rephrase “the feeling and passion” of God’s word. I hope it is helpful … More When We Deserve the Worst
Of all the men I have personally come to know in life, Bill Bauer is one of the men I admire most. For many years Bill was the “boss” of two of the other men I admire most, my brother Karl and my brother Ed. All three of those men worked for Chicago Bridge and … More Guest Post: Bill Bauer on Learning How to Think
From time to time I hear from atheists or other doubters in the afterlife, that the idea of “eternal life” is abhorrent. “I can’t image not getting bored with endless life.” That kind of comment simply shows the poverty of both their imagination and the shallowness of their view of the beauty and holiness of … More Something Your God Can’t Do
Psalm 95 The ground looks parched. The terrain looks wind scratched and the wind turbines in the background makes my ear and nose imagine the dusty howl of the warm Santa Anna winds I experienced in California. Unshorn sheep under such a sun need protection. They need relief. Unfortunately, they aren’t very smart. But perhaps … More A Protector Worth Praising
Preaching–the need of our hour in history As one who has taught preaching at the seminary level, been a practicioner of preaching for more than 30 years, and believes that expository preaching has a place in both house church settings and the more traditional church–this story from Kairos Journal brought great joy to my heart. … More The Pulpit at Le Chambon
Read Psalm 75 Today, I was reading a unique book that is a great addition to any worshippers library. “The Book of Psalms for Singing” (1973), is a book that takes every psalm in the book of Psalms and puts them into English verse with “musical settings designed for singing in public and private worship. … More When the Name of God is Near
