Pastor Gene's Blog (Page 13)

Pastor Gene's Blog (Page 13)

The Well

Peace & Violence

True peace can never exist where violence is present.  Like the word ‘peace’ itself, the word ‘violence’ is also multidimensional. When a nation’s safety is threatened by some rogue regime, it’s often left with no option but to fight. And so, we have war. Eventually, one nation’s force overwhelms the force of the other nation and the war ends. But the peace that results…

Peace Work

Biblical peace is not only the absence of bad; it’s also the presence of good. It means more than just ‘not’ fighting with my neighbor, but its actively working for his good. John the Baptist came with a powerful message of warning. Watch it carefully: “He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from…

Approaching Bethlehem, Yawning

In the introduction to his Advent devotional, Come, Let Us Adore Him, Paul David Tripp illustrates how familiarity leaves us underwhelmed by the Christmas story. He asks us to imagine that we’ve moved into a new area and decide to take our dog for a walk. On the way, we encounter a beautiful community garden filled with roses. We’re blown away, exhilarated by its beauty.…

A Love Explosion Called YOU!

We all strive for purity as believers, right? We want to be like our Lord and our Lord is pure in every way. In Him, John tells us, “is no darkness at all.” That, he says, “is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you!” To walk with Jesus is to “walk in the light.” That place – the sphere of light – is where we must be if we want to have fellowship with him.…

Sarah’s Dandelion

Sometimes the smallest act of kindness (which is, of course, one of the fruits of the Spirit working in us), can have a profound and lasting impact upon others. In Serving, the Biggest Honor in Life, Milt Culver retells a story written by pediatrician David Cerqueira. David’s wife was a Sunday school teacher at Church and she’d prepared a lesson on being useful. He…

What Have You Been Preaching Lately?

Yesterday’s blog considered the leper that Jesus healed with a word and with a touch. As I mentioned, touching lepers was just not done. It was unhealthy, risky, socially unacceptable. But Jesus chose that path to bring healing to this outcast. I think it says something about Jesus’ idea of preaching. One morning, very early, Jesus rose and went to a desolate place to…

Thanksgiving Eye Trouble

‘No, seriously, weren’t there ten?’ The story’s pretty well known. Jesus is traveling and preaching and healing. And in Luke 17:11-19 we find this thought-provoking incident. On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus,…

Finding Life on the Other Side of the Cross

It sounds like a paradox. It’s one of the most difficult verses in the New Testament to wrap our minds around. It’s disarmingly simple, yet deeper than the deepest ocean. “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). Jesus is not speaking of martyrdom, per se, but of an active following. The full…

Wasted Talents

So, Jesus tells a story. It’s a story about a “man” [hint: the “man” is Jesus Himself] who’s going away for a time, but is coming back. He calls His servants and entrusts to them a certain amount of money that he expects them to invest on his behalf while he’s away. To one he gives five “talents,” to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability to manage…