The Main Event
Read: Acts 24:1-21 Other than this one thing that I cried out. (v. 21) Paul’s accusers called him a plague, a rioter, a cult ringleader, and a profaner of the temple. Not one charge rang true though, and they knew it. But if they could paint Paul as a troublemaker, Felix would snuff him out. […]
Seeing Is Believing
Read: John 9:1-25 One thing I do know. (v. 25) Amid the whirlwind of questions, assumptions, and accusations, a man born blind received his sight. People in the text fixated on what they knew or wanted to know. The disciples wanted to know whose sin caused his blindness (v. 2). Neighbors wanted to know how […]
Live without a Rearview Mirror
Read: Philippians 3:12-21 One thing I do. (v. 13) The first time I drove a box truck, I asked my boss why there was no rearview mirror. He laughed, “Because there is no rear window. Don’t look back.” Of course! As I drove that summer, the mirror’s absence became an illustration of Paul’s words “forgetting […]
An Incomplete Life
Read: Mark 10:17-22 You lack one thing. (v. 21) The rich young man reminds me of myself in too many college classes when I would ask, “Professor, is this going to be on the test?” I wanted the A, and often got it, but missed the learning that came from studying the subject. This young […]
What Martha Missed
Read: Luke 10:38-42 One thing is necessary. (v. 42) “If you’ve come to see the house, come another time. If you want to visit Mom, make yourself at home.” That’s what Jenny’s daughter said nearly every time I visited. The house was by no means unkempt. They just marched to a different beat. Nearing 100, […]
August Prayer Guide 2021
BHUTAN — The ministry team in Bhutan organized a special one-day children’s program on the theme, “There is Hope for Our Children.” The goal was to encourage the children with the gospel in the midst of fear, anxiety, and hopelessness brought on by the pandemic. “Praise be unto God, for Christ is our hope!” shared […]
One Thing
Read: Psalm 27:1-6 . . . that I may dwell in the house of the LORD. (v. 4) If you could ask God for one answered prayer, what would it be? When I asked an old pastor that question, he quoted Psalm 27:4. He caught me a bit off guard but shouldn’t have. I confess […]
Nebuchadnezzar’s Folly
Read: Daniel 3:1-30 Fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. (v. 5) I owe a debt to Jeff Barker of Northwestern College, whose theater troupe performed this story as satire. I’ve come to agree with that interpretation. The repetitive lists of musical instruments and various officials and even the […]
Baldhead and the Youths
Read: 2 Kings 2:23-25 Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead! (v. 23) This story definitely was not in my family’s Bible storybook! It’s often seen as an embarrassment, especially when we imagine 42 innocent schoolboys being mauled because Elisha was sensitive about his hair loss. As someone whose hair went into retreat decades […]