The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a near-total abortion ban from 1864 is enforceable. Some will question, it is constitutional? But my question goes to a higher level – are abortion bans the Christian thing to do? The adjacent image is meant to show the tone of the arguments around the abortion issue. The “X” is red, to indicate blood. Of course, the blood was shed during the abortion. Also any blood shed during protests on either side of the issue. And let’s not forget, at least for Christians, the blood Jesus shed on the cross for our salvation. The blood of the One we promised to follow ..read more

God is sending America strong signs to tell us to repent. Earthquakes and eclipses and many more things to come. I pray that our country listens. So says a U.S. Congresswoman. But really, are earthquakes a warning from God to repent? In more modern countries, it takes a very strong earthquake to do significant damage, because we have building codes to try to ensure minimal structural damage. So we are told at least. My experience is that we also have building codes to be sure people can get out of the buildings, albeit with significant structural damage. The people will, for the most part, su ..read more

If you don’t believe in the devil, then … The man’s gentle face slowly sagged and became a picture of foreboding. “I can hardly advise you, who thinks the devil is only hot air, now can I?” from “Immanuel’s Veins” by Ted Dekker Ted Dekker really has a way of getting right to the point, doesn’t he? He looks at the dark side of life.  The all-too-real dark side of life.  The one that Jesus spoke of, right after the very famous John 3:16 – Jn 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For G ..read more

Did God really say, “You will surely die” (תָּמוּת מוֹת)? Do you know the answer to that question? Do you know where it came from? It wasn’t Christmas or Easter. But the failure to correctly answer that question led to our need for Christmas and Easter. And some other things. Do you only go to church on Christmas and Easter? For many, Christmas and Easter are the two things you celebrate because they represent God’s plan for saving us from our sins. Aren’t they? Are they the days that get you into Heaven? If so, you’re not alone. But really, they’re only part of the story. First, a quick word ..read more

Jesus loves us the way we are, right? Yes, but … Wait! I thought Jesus just loved us as we are. He meets us wherever we’re at, and He loves us, no matter what! What’s this “Yes, but …” about? We hear a lot about how Jesus meets us where we are. He loves us the way we are. No matter what we’ve done. I had MS Copilot generate the adjacent image to show that. We have a guy in a dark alley. It doesn’t matter what he did to get to that place of darkness. Or how dark it is. Or how much mist there is to hide things we don’t want people to know about us. Summary discusses the concept of Jesus’ love a ..read more

Do you ever practice living a Christian life of faith? Huh? Practice? What’s to practice? Doesn’t the Holy Spirit just kind of come in and take over? Why do I need to practice anything? I’m too busy practicing for my career to worry about this kind of thing! Here’s the thing about those questions. Many of us do practice for our career. Whether it’s learning, training, advancing, or whatever, most people at least want to get better at their job. And that takes practice. Practice that most of us are willing to make time for. So then, why do we consider living a Christian life of faith to be not ..read more

All things are yours … Really?  Does the Bible really say that?  Well, yes, but … without some context, it may not mean what we think. If you’ve read much from this site, you know how important context is.  The phrase – all things are yours – is taken from the book “What we talk about when we talk about God”. It’s from the preface to the book.  We haven’t even made it to the first chapter and something’s messed up.  From the context within this book, “All things are yours” sounds like a really good thing. Summary The main topic: The author of the web page examine ..read more

“There’s always time to love God later.” Have you ever said that?  “Isn’t there?”  But have you ever asked that?  We assume we can get around to God later.  When we have children.  After we’ve advanced in our careers.  After we retire.  After we enjoy our retirement.  But what if we never make it that far?  Or if we forget about God.  What if “later” never comes? Sure – we’ll get around to God.  Tomorrow.  There’s plenty of time.  Later.  Life’s too short to truly love God now.  That takes time. And effort. Before I di ..read more

Is the Bible relevant today? The first time I wrote that, years ago, I said, “Of course. Absolutely”. But today I wonder, what does that mean? Relevant to who? And relevant for what reason? So I changed the question. Is the Bible relevant to you in your life today? People in the Western world maybe have an image of Jesus that’s along the lines of the adjacent image. He’s some guy dressed in robes. And He spoke to people dressed just like He was. In many parts of the world, this is still the norm. It’s also irrelevant! It doesn’t, or shouldn’t, matter how someone dresses. They are still people ..read more

I love you! See you later, when I die. Who would ever say that? If we love someone, would we really walk away and choose to spend a lifetime without them? The adjacent images show a woman expressing her love for the man. In the next moment, she’s walking away. Leaving him behind. Not even turning around to face him as she just puts up a hand to wave goodbye. But she did say she’ll always love him, until the day she dies. There’s nothing to keep them apart. As I said – who would do that? But let’s change one thing. One tiny little thing. Well, maybe not so tiny. Let’s say the man represents Je ..read more