Message: In Genesis 22 God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son. This is such a widely known story and I have heard this story unpacked with more angles than I can count. It’s uncomfortable and it’s inconceivable and I believe... Continue reading →

Message: We are not obligated to respond to every question asked of us about the gospel. Some questions are formulated with hidden motives. The scribes and Pharisees did this to Jesus constantly because they were trying to set him up... Continue reading →

Message: Comparison is the thief of joy. When the landowner hired the workers in verse 2, they were in agreement to work the whole day for one denarius. At the end of the day they saw the other workers receive... Continue reading →

Message: We can’t earn eternal life based on good works because it would be impossible for us to accomplish. Jesus emphasized this truth very clearly when the rich young ruler came and asked what good he must do when he... Continue reading →

Message: The disciples asked Jesus “who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus called a child to him to stand as an example and he told them “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never... Continue reading →

Message: God came to Abraham and told him to “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless”. Then he told him he would establish a covenant with him and “multiply” him greatly. Abraham’s response was humility. He... Continue reading →

Message:  Throughout Matthew 16 we see lots of confusion over signs and interpretations of all kinds. The Pharisees (with insincere motivations) asked Jesus to show them a sign from heaven and Jesus responded by telling them that although they know... Continue reading →

Message: The Pharisees asked Jesus why his disciples broke the traditions of the elders, so Jesus turned it around on them and asked them why they  broke God’s commandments because of their tradition. The nature of mankind is to look... Continue reading →

Message:  In Matthew 14 Jesus had just heard the news that John the Baptist had been beheaded, so he tried to withdraw by boat to the wilderness to be alone. The crowds were like paparazzi and they followed him anyway... Continue reading →

Message:  Our ability to hear and understand the word of God is determined by how we manage the soil of our hearts. If we neglect it, the soil will be rocky and unmanageable. Even if the good seed lands on... Continue reading →

Message: Hebrews 11 is such a powerful chapter citing several  who died in their faith without ever seeing the promise. As I read each one it really sank in to me that the promise they all shared was not tangible... Continue reading →

Continue reading →

Message:  Everywhere Jesus went, he healed people, and everywhere he healed people there were people with opinions. The crowd was always amazed, but the religious were always critical.  Their religion made them spiritually blind, while ironically, Jesus healed men who... Continue reading →

Message: There is dishonor in exposing someone’s shame or vulnerability with any intent other than to help and heal. When Noah got drunk, he exposed his nakedness, but he was in the privacy of his own tent. When his son,... Continue reading →

Message: Jesus healed everywhere he went, and people were amazed after witnessing it, but when Jesus showed up at the Gadarenes it was the demons who recognized him immediately before he had even done anything. They called him out by... Continue reading →

Message: If we read the word of God and follow it, our lives will be able to withstand the storms that come against it because we are grounded in Christ with a solid foundation. This does not stop the storms... Continue reading →

Message: After reading in Matthew 5 yesterday about how our good attitudes are like salt and light to the world, chapter 6 is all about how our spiritual disciplines are not for show. We are not supposed to put ourselves... Continue reading →

Message: I have always kind of looked at Matthew chapter 5 in segments even when reading the whole thing. We know the first eleven verses as the “Be Attitudes” from the sermon on the mount. Then verse 12 begins by... Continue reading →

Message: The things that Satan tested Jesus with in Matthew 4 were a complete manipulation of what  already belonged to Jesus.  He spoke like a negotiator with Jesus making offers like an imposter claiming authority that he didn’t have. He... Continue reading →

Message: John the Baptist preached a message to repent and be baptized. What really stood out to me in this was chapter was that he was calling out the Pharisees who believed that they were the exception  because they were... Continue reading →