The Cleansing Power of the Son of ManLuke 5:12-16March 9, 2025 Finish this statement for me: “Cleanliness is next to __________ .” So I’m not sure what to do with Dave Whitlock. Dave is a grad of MIT, a chemical engineer, and the founder of AOBiome which markets bacterial products that are supposed to […]
Read More The Cleansing Power of the Son of ManAfter Jesus teaches a group of professional fishermen how to fish, Luke offers a concluding observation. It is a simple sentence with profound implications: “They left everything and followed Him.” They left the fish from that catch, the boats, the nets and equipment, the business, their houses, and undoubtedly relationships. They left it all. They […]
Read More They Followed Jesus“Follow Me”Luke 5:1-11February 16, 2025 It’s an old childhood game — follow the leader. Players first choose a leader and the remaining players (followers) all line up behind the leader who then moves around and all the players have to mimic the leader’s actions exactly. Any player who fails to mimic the leader is out […]
Read More “Follow Me”God Sent His Son1 John 4:7-10December 24, 2024 The theologian Karl Barth was once asked, “what is the greatest truth about God you have ever learned?” “Jesus loves me…” That statement is both simple, and deeply profound… At Christmas, it’s easy to talk about the love of God and the love of Christ. As we […]
Read More God Sent His SonThe Authority of the Son of Man, Pt. 2Luke 4:38-44December 22, 2024 I suppose Elizabeth was a couple of months old the first time she got sick. I don’t remember all the particulars, but I do remember it was something respiratory and she was struggling to breathe. One night she was especially uncomfortable and was […]
Read More The Authority of the Son of Man, Pt. 2The Authority of the Son of Man, Pt. 1Luke 4:31-37December 15, 2024 Authority. Authority is a word that can bring comfort when we are under wise and benevolent leaders. And it is a word that can provoke us to be fearful when we are under foolish, ungracious, and harsh authoritarians. Yet we all live […]
Read More The Authority of the Son of Man, Pt. 1James Smithson was born in 1765 in France, the son of Hugh Percy (Smithson), a prominent and wealthy English duke, and Elizabeth Hungerford Keate Macie, a direct descendant of King Henry VII. A life of prominence would have awaited him apart from one other significant factor — his parents were not married at the time […]
Read More Rejecting God?The First Reactions to the Son of ManLuke 4:22-30December 8, 2024 First impressions are not always accurate impressions. And first evaluations are not always true. I have experienced those truisms many times in my life, but one of the first times was when I was about seven years old. Mom and Dad were going […]
Read More The First Reactions to the Son of ManThe Father’s Mission for the Son of ManLuke 4:14-21November 17, 2024 On Monday, April 2, 1739, John Wesley began preaching open-air evangelistic sermons at Kingswood Bristol. That decision and event was the start of a revival in England that the country had never seen before (or since). Wesley later wrote this in his diary about […]
Read More The Father’s Mission for the Son of ManThe Son of Man’s ValidationLuke 4:1-13November 10, 2024 In Jesus’ ministry, several times people questioned Jesus’ ability to speak or act — even questioning His nature and character: When he healed and forgave the lame man who was let through the roof, the Pharisees asked, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive […]
Read More The Son of Man’s ValidationCounseling Like the Good Shepherd: Leading Counselees to Rest in JesusJohn 10 A few years ago I was running some errands one afternoon when I noticed that one car tire was almost completely flat. I slowly made my way to a tire store. There was a long line and wait. Finally, I spoke to […]
Read More Counseling Like the Good ShepherdThe Son of Man’s GenealogyLuke 3:23-38October 20, 2024 In 1963, Walter Cronkite filmed a television special entitled “D-Day Plus 20 Years,” which was aired on June 6, 1964. In the filming, Cronkite asked President Eisenhower what he thought about when he returned to Normandy. In Character Above All, Steven Ambrose summarized Eisenhower’s response: he “spoke […]
Read More The Son of Man’s GenealogyThe Baptism of JesusLuke 3:15-22October 13, 2024 We know little about the ministry of John the Baptist; we only have one sermon (really, just one line from a sermon — “be baptized for the forgiveness of sins”). Yet, for all the limited information about him, he was an important person. He came from humble beginnings, […]
Read More The Baptism of JesusThe Son of Man as a ChildLuke 2:39-52September 22, 2024 A mom and dad were still sleeping one morning when their young son came bounding into the bedroom and jumped onto their stomachs with significant news: “Today’s my birthday! It’s here! I’m five-years-old today!” And then holding up his open hand with all five fingers […]
Read More The Son of Man as a ChildHaving Seen God’s SalvationLuke 2:21-38September 15, 2024 At least for some things, I am not the most patient person in the world. I have been known to get a little hangry while waiting for dinner to cook. I don’t like waiting for traffic lights or for accidents to clear. I don’t like waiting in checkout […]
Read More Having Seen God’s Salvation
