Jesus issued several imperatives. But when the religious leaders asked him to pinpoint a command, he isolated the most important truth in the Bible: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.

I'm pretty certain my keyed colleague is free of what ails it, but I've not written for the same reason I wouldn't kiss you if I had a cold. 

If the Galatians so clearly understood that they could not be justified by the law, i.e. with human effort, why were they persisting to live according to the Mosaic Law and religious law?

Anyone that doesn’t look right, walk right, speak right, act right, live right, dress right, sing right—oy vey! Anyone or anything that doesn’t fit, we are prone to manage with rules and standards of performance that we believe will make God happier, because if we can manage behavior, we will be happier (we think). Certainly the same must be true of God, we reason.

The reason Paul is so peeved is that the Galatian Christians had departed from sound theology, i.e. the sufficiency of Christ, and were attempting to amalgamate human effort and divine provision. 

The first “know” is a process. The second “know” conveys a knowing that is entirely completed and fully understood. 

I took time away several weeks ago to plan, and pray, and gain fresh perspective. I've been diligently preparing since for launching into 2016 with fresh goals and fewer outstanding accounts inside my soul's bank. I'm lighter in side of me.

With the sound of Mary’s labor, Satan stalked closer to her, determined to destroy and devour the child, the hope of mankind, the light of the world, the Crown Prince of heaven’s kingdom.  It was a desperate plan conceived for a desperate moment.

On that first Christmas, angels by the myriads and thousands trekked from heaven to earth to worship God incarnate

When Jesus announced His intention to the angels surrounding His throne, surely someone must have said, “What are you thinking?! This is lunacy. 

What do you suppose will become of his reputation, his clients, his acceptance by his rather prominent family? Should he marry this unfaithful girl? How will he love and accept her child that is not their child? 

Have you ever thought about Mary and Joseph’s discussion on the way home from meeting with Simeon? Mothers aren’t usually too keen on the idea of swords piercing their souls, especially regarding their children.

Dear God: Your interpreters—the prophets and priests of the Old Testament—did their best to portray you in the best possible fashion. And even though they approached you, and most lived to write and tell about it, you remain dauntingly distant. 

Here’s my current recipe for holiday fare. Feel free to modify as you see fit, just don’t overcook it.

If you remove Life from the church, what you are left with is not a great deal different from the country club. 

The church is both an organism and an organization, one living, one dead. The Church living and the church corporate are not the same, nor are they interchangeable.

Not everyone in the church organization is a member of the Church organism. The fundamental distinction is that an organism has life while an organization is nothing more than an institution.

The benefit of you reading what I write makes my privilege a true joy. I'm grateful for you.