Jesus Saves from Punishment & Sin
George McDonald, one of C.S. Lewis’s favorite authors, once wrote: “Jesus did not come to save us from our punishment; He came to save us from our sin.” This is a quote that I wrote down years ago because I was astonished by its simplicity and sheer brilliance. However, I do disagree with McDonald to an extent. Jesus did come to save us...
Relying on Christ Requires Faith
Dwight Robertson once said, “The greatest gift you can give the world is your own intimacy with Christ.” Yet all too often we think that we can leave a mark on this world by our own efforts. Though we may not admit it to anyone else, including ourselves, we all too often are falsely confident in our own talents and...
Loving Christ Over Ministry
“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you but Christ and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2 Filling His Need There is almost never a day that goes by where I am not reminded to keep “Christ and Him crucified” at the center of my life. A few winters ago on a cold snowy day in Chicago, I was unexpectedly...
Love Those Who Persecute You
The crinkled letter had obviously traveled thousands of miles to get to my mail box. The address was unfamiliar to me, but the blue and red stripes around the outer edges of the envelope told me it was an international piece of mail. As I opened it and began to read it, I couldn’t help but cry as I...
Child-like Faith, Adult-sized World
For my mom and I, it became routine. I would lie down next to her to read the same book that we had read at every other nap time and bedtime. The book cover was a little girl, not much older than me, bending down to smell a tulip. On the inside cover, in my childish handwriting, I had...
Mr. Welch’s Weeping
“A soul under special manifestation of love weeps that it can love Christ no more. Mr Welch, a Suffolk minister, weeping at a table, and when being asked the reason of it, answered, it was because he could love Christ no more. The true lovers of Christ can never rise high enough in their love to Christ; they count a...
The High Calling of Caring
I recently looked up the word, “Shepherd” in the dictionary. This is what I found: shepherd |ˈ sh epərd| |ˈʃɛpərd| |ˈʃɛpəd| noun A person who tends and rears sheep. Figurative a member of the clergy who provides spiritual care and guidance for a congregation. The task we are called to as pastors and elders is not a simple one. Anytime one person is...
Keys for Effective Door to Door Evangelism
We all met in the parking lot of the high school we meet in on Sundays. There were not many of us, but the team was strong nonetheless. We had a mission and we were determined to accomplish it. It was Easter week and had about 200 New Testament ESV Bibles, gospel tracts, and hand-written invitations to hand out. All...
Not Another Dead God
I had the honor of speaking to many of the Denver area Children’s pastors at a luncheon one Wednesday. If I am honest with you, there are times when I am speaking (even on Sunday mornings) when something gets a hold of me and I can’t help but preach all the louder and more passionately. I experienced that right...
Looking back: The Columbine Tragedy
I can't believe it has been sixteen years since the Columbine tragedy on April 20th 1999. On that day God made it clear that He never hides, but simply waits for us to return to Him. Allow me to remember that day and relive the vital reality that God is an ever present God. That day was an idle Tuesday...
What Does it Mean to Be Holy?
As an experiment, the great scientist Isaac Newton stared at the image of the sun reflected in a mirror. The brightness burned into his retina, and as a result, he suffered temporary blindness. Even after he hid for three days behind closed shutters the bright spot would not fade from his vision. "I used all means to divert my...
The Resurrection is True!
1 Corinthians 15:12, “How can some of you say there is no resurrection from the dead?” If Christ did not rise from the dead, then the proclamation of The Gospel is pointless. What is the Cross without victory over death? Mortality would remain the eternal vault for the soul and punishment for all mankind if there were never victory over...