https://anchor.fm/s/2742d354/podcast/rss At the same time {Governon Felix] was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him. Acts 24:26 (NIV) Wendy and I are long-time readers of the Wall Street Journal. Over the past year, we’ve been following the case of Evan Gershkovich, a WSJ journalist in Russia, who has been arrested and imprisoned on a trumped-up charge of espionage. It is a game the Putin regime plays on a regular basis, arresting high-profile individuals who can be traded for his henchmen who have been captured in the West. It’s a terribl ..read more

Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” Acts 23:6 (NIV) It is a major election year here in the United States, which means that politics is already at a fever pitch and it’s only going to get worse. Both the trials of a former President and a number of important appeals before the Supreme Court with regard to hot political issues and elections have put politics and the legal system on a collision cours ..read more

https://anchor.fm/s/2742d354/podcast/rss The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” Acts 22:22 (NIV) I gave a message to our local gathering of Jesus’ followers yesterday. We’re in an interesting and challenging series of messages in which we’re exploring how we react and respond when our lives get interrupted. This can take the form of life itself interrupting with challenges, struggles, trials, and tragedies. It can also be what happens when Jesus interrupts as He did multiple times to multiple peopl ..read more

Artist Heather Holdsworth, Author of “Landscape of Hope” A year or two ago, I had the joy of meeting Heather Holdsworth via email when she reached out about one of my chapter-a-day posts in the Psalms. Our correspondence quickly turned to friendship. A resident of Scotland, we had several common touchpoints including our daughter and her family just living down the highway from Heather’s home in St. Andrews. She has a wonderful story, and I fell in love with her artwork on her website HeatherHoldsworth.com. I asked Heather to be on the Wayfarer Weekend podcast a long time ago, but she was busy ..read more

When [Paul] would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” Acts 21:14 (NIV) The great German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him ‘Come and die.’” That’s not the kind of sentiment you’ll find stamped on key chains and coffee mugs at your local Christian bookstore. Nevertheless, the path of discipleship is one of surrender and obedience to go wherever I might be led. Along my life journey, I’ve observed that people love Jesus’ statements about knowing the truth, loving little children, and being set free. His statement that no one ..read more

https://anchor.fm/s/2742d354/podcast/rss “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.” Acts 20:25 (NIV) Along my journey, I have witnessed some pretty cool things with regard to the miraculous and prophetic. This coming weekend I’m going to drop a Wayfarer Weekend Podcast and my interview with a wonderful Scottish lady and amazing artist, Heather Holdsworth. In the interview, Heather shares about her debilitating experience with Long Covid as well as her sudden and unexpected healing. Her doctor even showed her the note he put in her m ..read more

The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. Acts 19:32 (NIV) I saw a meme on social media over the weekend that caught my eye. It was a quote from Albert Einstein who said, “Three great forces rule the world: stupidity, fear, and greed.” The more I meditated on this notion, the more I realized the truth of it. The quote came to mind this morning as I read today’s chapter because all three forces are at work during Paul’s stay in Ephesus. Paul’s presence and Jesus’ Message had a powerful effect in Ephesus ..read more

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. Acts 18:24 (NIV) Many years ago, I gave a message. I don’t even remember what the message was about, to be honest. What I do remember, however, is that in preparation for the message I made a list of key relationships in my life journey and charted them on a timeline of my life. These “key relationships” meant that they were friends who had a significant presence, role, and impact on my life and spiritual journey. I remember that the exercise taught me a co ..read more

https://anchor.fm/s/2742d354/podcast/rss Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11 (NIV) Along my life journey, I have worshipped and served with believers of different denominations and belief systems. Growing up, I observed that people within denominations often siloed themselves as if theirs was the only one that had it right. In the city of Des Moines, where I grew up, the churches had a reputation of refusing to work toge ..read more

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Acts 16:25 (NIV) When life interrupts our lives with any kind of unexpected difficulty or tragedy, Wendy and I announce it to one another by saying, “Honey? We have a Chain Reaction of Praise moment.” I have written about the Chain Reaction of Praise before. It’s a simple, formulaic way that reminds us that as disciples of Jesus, we are to give thanks in all circumstances. It was first introduced in our local gathering of Jesus followers and it has now been expanded into a book ..read more