Sermons
The Portrait of Love
Hook [Intro yourself. Hand out Bibles. Communion in coming.] I used to spend my summers in Toronto working with my father. He owned a roofing company, but did plenty of other general contracting work. One day he dropped my brother and I off at this old Italian lady’s place to do lay a brick patio.... Read More →
Devotionals
Real History, Real People, Real Events: The Tangible Roots of the Christian Faith
The Bible is not just a collection of spiritual teachings but also a document deeply rooted in real history, involving real people and events. Today’s reading from 1 Chronicles 5:18–26; 6:3b–15, 49; 7:1–8:28 emphasizes the genealogies and tribal histories of Israel, highlighting the tangible reality of the biblical narrative. These genealogies are not mere lists;... Read More →
When God Stops Protecting
When we read about the judgment on Assyria and Babylon, it might seem perplexing. How can God punish them for carrying out actions that fulfilled His will? But the answer is deceptively simple: God did not force these nations to act. Instead, He removed His protection from Israel, allowing them to experience the consequences of... Read More →
An Unapologetic Apologetic
Today’s reading from Isaiah 63:15-66:24 unveils a profound narrative where God appeals to His people, calling them out of their rebellion and into a relationship with Him. This passage vividly illustrates how God reaches out, not just through spiritual means, but through a comprehensive appeal that encompasses historical, scientific, and logical evidence, all of which... Read More →
Indicting God
Isaiah 13:13-16 reads: Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of his burning anger. Like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd, they will all return to their own people, they will flee to their native land. Whoever is captured will be... Read More →
Providence, Self-Restraint, & Contradictions
There was too much in today’s passage to choose a single item, so here are some quick-hit thoughts on a couple different parts of what we read. Providence: David and his troops set out with the Philistines on their campaign into Israel, but several of the Philistine leaders do not trust David and send him... Read More →
(Un)Fulfilled Promises?
Today’s reflection delves into a notable aspect of biblical interpretation: apparent contradictions. While some may relish pointing out such instances to discredit the Bible, it’s crucial to engage earnestly with these passages to grasp their deeper meaning. Let’s examine Joshua 21:43-45, where it’s proclaimed that the Lord fulfilled His promises to Israel, giving them the... Read More →
The Sun Stood Still… Really?
One of the most contested passages in the entire canon of Scripture. It reads: Then Joshua speaks to YHWH in the day of YHWH’s giving up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he says before the eyes of Israel, “Sun—stand still in Gibeon; and moon—in the Valley of Ajalon”; and the sun stands still, and the moon has stood—until the nation takes vengeance [on] its enemies; is it not written on the Scroll of the Upright, “and the sun stands in the midst of the heavens, and has not hurried to go in—as a perfect day?” And there has not been like that day before it or after it, for YHWH’s listening to the voice of a man; for YHWH is fighting for Israel. Joshua 10:12-14, Literal Standard Version I chose the most literal English translations I could find to talk about this passage. Theories to explain this phenomenon abound but I will briefly touch on the five most common ones, why I think... Read More →
Do Babies Go To Hell?
A number of years ago I was recruited by an outgoing youth pastor to join the transition team. My role was to mentor/advise the younger people on the team who were actually running the Jr/Sr High Youth Groups as well as to run the grade 6-12 Sunday School. It was one single class and so... Read More →
Excluded from the Kingdom?
If you read Deuteronomy 23:1-8 and are NOT a Biblical savant you probably scratched your head and thought… wut? Seriously. What does this even mean? I’ll put the whole section in here for context: 23:1 A man with crushed or severed genitals may not enter the assembly of the Lord. 2 A person of illegitimate birth may not enter the assembly of... Read More →
Are Women Entitled to Anything?
Why do this trio of sisters have to go to nomadic Israel’s equivalent of the Supreme Court to get a ruling on whether or not they can have their father’s inheritance? When reading accounts like this it can be easy to wear our modern lenses and wonder what is wrong with these weird, backward, chauvinists!... Read More →
The Stand-In
Just a quick note today; It is fascinating to me that when God visits destruction upon the land of Egypt by sending an angel of death to take the lives of all the firstborn sons, He told the Israelites how to avoid this fate. By marking their doorposts. And so these firstborn sons were spared.... Read More →