Pastor’s Blog (Page 17)

They say real men don’t cry. But I don’t think I’ve ever met a more real man than Joseph, who was certainly not ashamed to weep: Was he just an emotional wreck of a man? Or do we insufficiently comprehend the crushing weight of his brothers’ betrayal? the sheer terror of having been trafficked into slavery? the monumental grief and sadness of “losing” his father? To say…

When my ship comes in… Last Sunday we explored the lives of two biblical heroes whose ship had most certainly come in: Mary, mother of Jesus, and Joseph, son of Jacob—two model young people who were suddenly thrust into greatness. Their stellar character and integrity had been noted by God and He was pleased to favor them with choice roles in His story. And there are many…

She was pretty, smart, and confident. So she started out with the winsome approach: smiling, dressing attractively, pleasantly perfumed, making intentional eye contact, speaking admiringly, flirting innocently… She aimed to have Joseph. And Potiphar’s wife was used to getting what she wanted.  But it wasn’t working. So she upped the ante: dressed seductively, gazed…

Some say the intensity of a Hurricane Ian is God’s judgment upon a sinful people. In fact, the Bible states clearly that God did bring judgment on wicked humanity at the Flood and also upon Sodom and Gomorrah. That He brought the storm against Jonah (Jonah 1). And that at certain times He has called for the locust, famine, and drought (Amos 7:1; 2 Kings 8:1;…

A couple Sundays ago Jacob’s sons gave us a crash course on how not to respond to injustice and evil. Their sister had been raped by the young man Shechem, so in a rage-filled fury over one man’s wrong they slaughtered every man in the town, captured the women and children as slaves, seized their goods as plunder, and hamstrung their oxen…

This week I found it both sobering and instructive… that Asher Velilla took his first breath… while Dave Johnson and Queen Elizabeth took their last. Today is Richard Peters’ eighty-seventh birthday. Way to go, Richard! Yet the Queen, Dave, and Richard all came into the world just like Asher: as a child. This Sunday we begin a new 9:30 Bible Study series: Notable…