Today we live in a 365-day year solar calendar with leap years to keep it aligned with the sun. In prophetic and narrative accounts the Bible consistently reckons the year as 360 days. Whether it is in Genesis or the book of Revelation’s “times, a time and a half a time,” forty months or 1260... Continue Reading

If we’re so trained to say, Well, yeah, I’m guilty of that sin, that sin, that sin, and really every sin, then when we need to speak very strongly—either to others or ourselves—a rebuke and warning, then we figure, Nobody’s perfect. Nobody really obeys. Therefore, we don’t feel the warning that we should feel. There’s no... Continue Reading

How many of us, if we’re honest, get a bit embarrassed when some supernatural aspect of the Bible gets brought up at work or school or when we’re with friends? Maybe it’s the flood, or Jesus walking on water—the kind of things our secular world pokes fun at. Well, Peter is not embarrassed by any... Continue Reading

The solution to avoiding redlining your car and revving it too high is not found in parking it, but in driving it the way the designer intended. So is the solution for the Christian life. Go on about your day. Interact with others. Carry out your tasks. Learn of new challenges. Encounter new opportunities. But... Continue Reading

Do your utmost to ensure you are not the cause of the greater trouble and that you labor to make your love genuine and to outdo your spouse in showing honor. It could be that God chooses to work within your marriage in such a way that it becomes as joyful as you wish it... Continue Reading

The love that eternally flows between Father and Son becomes the pattern and source of our communion with God. “I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.” Through Christ, we are drawn into that very fellowship.   A parishioner once introduced me to... Continue Reading

I fear that many believers think of the blessing of God in the life and ministry of the church is something we pretend to experience. As a pastor, I have encouraged many discouraged people to spend time with the means of grace only to be met with a look that so clearly says, “I’ve been... Continue Reading

The Trinity is not an optional extra. It is not a theological hobby. It is the guardrail that keeps us worshiping the God who actually is, not the god we prefer. The Trinity is not a puzzle to solve, but a God to worship.   I love the Trinity. That is because I love God,... Continue Reading

When we obey God’s law, we will be most free to live as He has created us to live. To live disobeying Him only messes up our lives, maybe not immediately, but eventually. Our culture thinks freedom means doing whatever you please, but this leads to lawlessness.   We think of discipline in different ways.... Continue Reading

You said, “The dominant Christian theory is that I would wake up in heaven if I have a good life.” With respect, if someone told you this, that someone is wrong. It is of course not your fault if this is how Christianity has been presented to you. But it’s not Christianity.    Dear Scott,... Continue Reading