Pastor’s Blog (Page 13)

As a young boy I remember being impressed with how big my grandpa’s hands were, especially when my little hand was in his. One day I noticed, however, that he was missing one of his fingers. A printing press had claimed it, I was told. And this became a teachable moment for me: Always maintain a healthy respect for the machinery! Over the years I’ve met a number of men…

Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures… You wouldn’t think it possible (but apparently it is) to have read the Scriptures all your life and yet failed to grasp a central aspect of its message. But here were the disciples on Resurrection Day—completely baffled by what had just taken place. Stunned speechless. And central to their utter bewilderment seems…

Nine times in Genesis 5 we read, “and he died.” Adam, Seth, Enosh. Kenan… each of these lived some nine hundred years! But in every case their story closes with, “and he died.” The last person in Genesis 5 is Noah, whose final epitaph is delayed until 9:29—“and he died.” Why did the author stress so pointedly that each one died? Perhaps it was so that Enoch’s story would…

One Saturday way back when I took my 5- or 6-year-old son to the flea market. While we were there he spotted a kids’ carpentry tool kit that he just had to have. He used to watch admiringly when I did carpentry work, and here was his chance to have his own tools! The problem was they were very poorly constructed. I doubted the tools would even be usable. And I was sure…

I’m sure you’ve wondered… Why do we have hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters? Why are there wasps, snakes, and other harmful creatures? Why do our bodies suffer with disease, disfigurement, and ultimately death? Some observe the chaos, pain, and dying and conclude along these lines: The total amount of suffering per year in the natural world is beyond all…

We have one of those invisible pet fences to keep our dog in our yard. In case you’re not familiar with the concept, the dog wears a collar with a radio receiver in it. The radio picks up on a signal broadcast from a transmitter in our home that defines the dog’s boundary in our yard. If he gets too close to the boundary, the collar signals him with beeping and—if he…