Pastor’s Blog (Page 6)

Eliab was incensed that his kid brother David—not yet old enough to even shave, much less join the army—had found a way to get to the battle front by bringing food provisions to his brothers. Of all the tricks! And now Eliab hears him asking for the details about all that King Saul had promised to whoever defeated Goliath! What a precocious little schmuck! Eliab doesn’t…

Positively inclined. Generally, we find ourselves positively inclined toward someone who is special to someone who is special to us. “Oh, you’re a friend of my friend so & so? Well, by all means, come on in! And now what can I do for you?” I think this is at the root of Paul’s appeal to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus. “Philemon, I have a special place in my heart for…

Have you ever had one of those dreams in which you find yourself in that dream sinning against the Lord? Perhaps egregiously? And knowingly? From time to time I have. If you’re like me, when you awake you have a sense of relief that it didn’t really happen. But there’s also a startled-ness as you think, “Oh, my! Could I actually do that against my Lord? Grieve so deeply…

Barb and I have been camping with our grandkids this week. We’ve had some wonderful times with these young ones and our hearts are full to overflowing. But the matter of freedom has come up a time or two: Why can’t we go to the river by ourselves? Why can’t we ride our bikes on the big road? Why do we have to have a grownup with us? (Ad nauseum? Well, not…

Pleading the Mercy! When someone you know has taken some ill-advised turns in life and then comes up against some degree of crisis, how do you pray? I’ll confess that sometimes I pray rather consequentially. “Lord, so & so has done such & such and now the consequences have arrived. Plow deeply, Lord, that he/she may learn the lessons well and not take those…

Do you remember the man from whom Jesus cast out Legion, a whole host of demons? He was so ecstatic over his deliverance from demonic bondage that he pled with Jesus to allow him to accompany Him. But Jesus did not permit him to do so. Instead, He said to him, “Go to your home and to your people and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He…