Pastor’s Blog (Page 26)

Dear Woodland Hills Family, In the opening two verses of the book of Ruth we read that Elimelech and Naomi were Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah.  Why did the writer tell us this and what is an Ephrathite? Before it was called Bethlehem it was the ancient city of Ephrath. The Ephrathites, then, were the people of that ancient and noble lineage. To be born an Ephrathite…

Dear Woodland Hills Family, For our final gleanings on weakness and its benefits we turn to the Apostle Paul — one who was keenly aware of his weakness and inadequacy.  He used words like “always” and “constantly” when referring to the hardships he encountered. And then there was the constant plague of that debilitating thorn in his flesh. …

Dear Woodland Hills Family,       Adoration of the Magi c.1725 Corrado Giaquinto   When you hear the word offering any number of images or associations may flash through your mind: an offering plate an animal on an altar a gift appeasement guilt I think the truest depiction of offering comes to us from the magi who came to see the One born King of the Jews: After…

Dear Woodland Hills Family, When my boys were young I noticed they copied a lot of the things I did. If my hand was on my hip, so was theirs. If I was using a power drill, they’d use their toy power drill. When I’d crawl under my truck to work on it, they’d want to, too. They wanted to identify with me in as many ways as possible. Identification.…

Dear Woodland Hills Family, In recent weeks I’ve been discussing with you the matter of weakness and looking to the Scriptures for the why of it all. So far we’ve covered these principles: 1. Weakness helps you realize your need for God’s strength. (read here) 2. Weakness is the canvas that best displays God’s strength. (read here) 3. Weakness may…

Dear Woodland Hills Family, In response to all the aches of life — headaches, backaches, and heartaches — we’ve been asking the question, Why weakness? Why do I so often lack sufficient strength of body, mind or spirit? According to the Scriptures, often it is Satan who invents and assigns disabilities, diseases, or deformities. But why does God allow…