Have mentioned before my conviction that the wonders and disasters of the natural world are powerful evidence of what the Bible tells us about God, the brokenness of our world, and ourselves. For openers we have, The reminder of what God made, called good, and entrusted to us (Gen 1) The physical evidence that tells […]
A new church in our neighborhood has a sign out front that I think has such a good message for the New Year. It says, “Let’s Learn to be Different Together.” After seeing the sign for the first time, I later drove past it again to make sure that I could remember exactly what it […]
Like clockwork, each new generation rides a pendulum of reaction to “the sins of the fathers.” As grateful as we may be for the good we have inherited, we are apt to “overcorrect” what we see as the failures of our parents. Seems to me that this is happening in the way an emerging generation […]
If you want to spend your time with a complicated study try doing some research on calendars and dating systems. The details of how various cultures have tried to keep a record of time while making adjustments for lunar or solar cycles is mind bending. Natural new beginnings— One thing that seems clear is that […]
It has now been more than 2009 years since the birth of Jesus. The Middle East remains at the swirling center of worlds news. The descendants of Abraham and Sarah are still fighting over a small strip of land. Many of us see the rockets going into and out of Gaza as being linked, not […]
Going into the Christmas holiday, I was focused on what can appear to be the scandalously generous side of grace. Found myself drawn back time and again to the priceless gift expressed in the words, “The Word (God) became flesh and lived among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only […]
Never got the last winter storm that was supposed to materialize today. Instead we got a lot of rain and a flood watch. The Grand River, for which our town is named (Grand Rapids, MI), has developed an ice jam and backed up to flood stage. Now the wind is kicking up and the temperature […]
In the eighth century before the birth of Jesus, the Jewish prophet Micah predicted, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). Then there are […]
Tonight the Discovery Channel is running a three hour special on Jesus: The Complete Story. Consecutive hours will address The Early Years; The Mission; and The Last Days. Advertising copy for the first segment reads: “Explore the strange fables that surround Jesus’ birth. Follow the childhood and early adult years of Jesus using a first […]
With the weather forecast calling for more snow and near blizzard conditions for later in the day, a local weather forecaster says that only a collision with the sun will keep it from being a white Christmas in West Michigan this year. So far, December has seemed more like January or early February around here. […]
