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The Perfect Storm
“Come!” answered Jesus. So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he was afraid and started to sink down in the water. “Save me, Lord!” he cried. At once Jesus reached out and grabbed hold of him and said, “What little faith you have! Why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:29-31) Oh, this is me! Noticing the strong wind all the time and sinking down. Crying out for Jesus and Jesus comes! But how more blessed it would be — how much more blessed I would be — if I kept my eyes on Him and only…
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Hearing the Word
photo credit: khrawlings First and foremost God speaks to us through the Bible, his Word. Anytime we hear from him any other way — directly, through nature, in dreams and vision, through others — we must always put up those words against the Word. His sovereign will are revealed through the Bible and all of our listening must start and end there. Hearing God through Scripture is the basis of everything else. It is through Word of God that we know Him, that we know what He has done for us. It is through the Word that we learn about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We learn…
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The Road is Short (A Theology of Suffering)
I’m talking about a hard subject today – suffering. My church is suffering a recent spate of serious illnesses. That is not the only suffering on our congregation or in the world. The loss of husbands and children, the loss of children to certain lifestyles. Mental illness. Lifelong struggles against addiction to drugs, alcohol, food, or porn. Losing jobs and homes, physical violence on the battlefield or in the home. This is a darkened world! God created this world, is in this world, and will renew this world. But the Fall of Man was a terrible fall, so terrible that God himself chose to die to save the world. Because…