It’s a Chest Filled with Treasure

Robert and Betty Fooks simply wanted more headroom for their bathroom in their farmhouse in West Dorsett, England. So one evening five years ago, as Robert was digging in the bathroom to deepen their floor, his pickax hit a pottery bowl. When the bowl broke open, it revealed about 100 coins that dated back to […]

The Rest of the Word

“The Rest of the Word”Hebrews 4:12-13December 28, 2025 I’ve finished six pillows in Needlepoint,And I’m reading Jane Austen and Kant,And I’m up to the pork with black beans in Advanced Chinese Cooking. I don’t have to struggle to find myselfFor I already know what I want.I want to be healthy and wise and extremely […]

The Training of the Twelve, Pt. 2

“The Training of the Twelve” Pt. 2Luke 9:12-17December 21, 2025 Christmas brings anticipation of many good and encouraging things. We anticipate worship (Christmas Eve), and music (the Messiah!), and fellowship, and reconnection with friends who have moved away, and time with family. And yet there is also the conundrum of the gifts. What do we […]

The Training of the Twelve, Pt. 1

“The Training of the Twelve” Pt. 1Luke 9:1-11December 14, 2025 It’s Christmas season. And there is a common question being asked these days: “Do we have enough?” E.g., Do we have enough food? Do we have enough cookies? Do we have enough gifts? Do we have enough decorations (lights on the house, tinsel on […]

The Tale of Two “Daughters”

“The Tale of Two ‘Daughters’”Luke 8:40-56November 30, 2025 Pain is universal. Suffering is common. Illness, though frequent and normal, often surprises us. Death is one out of one. We recoil against all of these. And God uses pain, illness, and death to sanctify us. Samuel Rutherford wrote that believers should “praise God for the […]

The Son of Man, Demons, and Rejection

“The Son of Man, Demons, and Rejection”Luke 8:26-39November 23, 2025 We have an enemy. He is intelligent — “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder” (Js. 2:18). He is strong — “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm […]

Jesus, in the Storms of Life

“Jesus, in the Storms of Life”Luke 8:22-25November 2, 2025 Call it what you want — affliction, calamity, difficulty, disaster, disease, hardship, horror, illness/sickness, pain, persecution, suffering, tragedy, trial, trouble — life is filled with events and circumstances that seem contrary to us. It has always been that way, the Bible is filled with it: Murder […]

Don’t Just Read Your Bible

Your Bible reading isn’t finished when you complete the reading you have chosen for the day. Bible reading is not just about reading the words in the section for that day. Bible reading is designed to change and transform us — we don’t just read the Bible, but we do what we read. We act on […]

How is Your Hearing? Pt. 2

“How is Your Hearing?” Pt. 2Luke 8:16-21October 26, 2025 I have some tools in my workshop and some more in our kitchen that need some attention: My air compressor hose has a leak at the joint where the tool connects. The tools still work, but while I’m working there is a constant sound of […]

If anyone wants to follow Jesus…

Many people say they want to follow Jesus. They want to know the work of His kindness in their lives (like healings and feedings, Jn. 6:1ff). They want to know the wisdom from His teaching. They want unconditional love, acceptance, and affirmation. But do they want to follow Him everywhere He goes and do everything […]

“Listen Up”

How many times as a parent of young children did I say, “Listen to me…Are you listening?…What did I say?” How many times as a student and an employee did my teacher or boss say, “Pay attention to this…you will need this in the future…Listen to me…watch what I’m doing…Do you understand?…What did I say/mean?…” […]

Praying Scripture

Prayer and scripture are vitally linked together. More knowledge of Scripture produces more robustly God-dependent prayers. More praying feeds a greater hunger for Scripture. If you love one, it will drive you to the other. Nineteenth century French pastor Adophe Monod said of the two disciplines, “Without the Word, prayer is nothing, having no source […]

Useless? No. Useful.

A couple of weeks ago I went through some rarely opened cabinets and drawers in my office. I knew they were full, but I was a little surprised by some of the items I found in them. I repeatedly found myself saying something like, “I forgot that was there…I’ve not used that or thought of […]

Don’t Forget “After These Things…”

Burdens. Difficulties. Disaster Illness. Pressures. Problems. Suffering. Tragedies. Trials. Untimely death. We all have experienced situations that we could put in those categories. We have all experienced situations that we could put in those categories too often. At times we have experienced the suddenness of those trials. We receive an unexpected phone call with unwanted […]

Praying for Our Enemies

There are statements by Jesus Christ that are known as His “hard sayings.” They are not hard because they are hard to comprehend. They are hard because they are hard to do. They are counter to our fleshly desires. They are strongly counter to our fleshly desires. We are naturally resistant to doing what He says. […]