You Don’t Know This About Jesus #5 The God of the Gap The desperate father brought his son to the disciples of Jesus. He pleaded with them to cast out the demon that had tormented his son from..
You Don’t Know This About Jesus # 3 His Temptations In the Old Testament, Israel, the son of God (Exodus 4:22) passed through the Red Sea and into the wilderness where they wandered for forty years..
You Don’t Know This About Jesus #2 “Beloved Son” Means More Than You Think While compiling The One, a chronological blending of the four Gospels, I had to decide which of the words from the Father at the baptism of Jesus..
You Didn’t Know This About Jesus # 1 “The Sea and Sky Opened” Since March 2012 I’ve read the gospels monthly. Plus, I’ve compiled two blended gospels, The Jesus Story and The One. Editing those two..
Do This To Show Someone Their Worth As Jesus entered the Upper Room for a final meal with His disciples, He remained silent. No need to speak. His actions would soon say more than..
How to See Jesus Several years ago, Cindy and I vacationed on the tiny island of Bonaire. Situated fifty miles from Venezuela it’s known as the scuba shore diving..
Our Comfort: God Visited A Violent World Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him..
The Joy of Spiritual Flight You were designed for commitment just as a plane is designed for the sky. Nobody who tiptoes through life, as though sneaking through a minefield,..
What Do You Call Someone Who Betrayed You? A few weeks ago I wore a Ricky Russ t-shirt to church–the one posted with this blog. As I engaged people in conversation I’d point to the t-shirt..
“I Never Saw It That Way Before” When placed under oath a witness swears to, “Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” The middle phrase is a problem if ..
To Serve Others Best, Do This First Dale Carnegie once said, “No man gets rich without enriching others.” Carnegie lived that philosophy, as evidenced by the 43 millionaires who..
Was Jesus Superman? It’s understandable to think we could no more emulate Jesus than we could Superman. We might shadow Clark Kent up a flight of stairs, but we’re..
The Cure for a Competitive Spirit Comparisons are odious. If we compare ourselves to someone higher on the food chain we feel inadequate. If we gaze at someone who has less..
One Thought Will Heal Your Mind I used to ruminate on negative thoughts for days, weeks, or longer–like years or decades. Over time they shaped my identity. Or, part of it. And..
Jesus Gave One Commandment Ten Times? Confused and afraid, the disciples left the upper room and stepped onto the narrow Jerusalem street. The frigid air–just like their growing..
Touch God This Christmas Many people fear God. They believe he’s as approachable as King Kong. It’s no wonder. After all, they recall the story of Moses and the terrified..
The Three Dreams of Joseph In Matthew’s gospel, attention is fixed on Mary, Jesus, the star, the shepherds, the manger, and the magi with their gifts of frankincense, myrrh..
What Did Jesus Mean? “Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing?” When I open the door for someone at the grocery store, I appreciate a friendly, “Thank you.” Don’t you? I pretty much feel that way about any act..
Jesus Got Angry Four Times James said, “for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” (James 1:20). Why? Because God’s anger is perfectly justified and..
The Night My Life Changed Since I moved to Oregon I’ve enjoyed reminding myself how much I detest the wet, cloudy, miserable winters. Did I say wet? Did I say cloudy? Did..
“Get Behind Me Satan!” Recall the Lord’s wilderness temptation. After the last test, we’re told, “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an..
Did Jesus Cheat? Imitating Jesus may seem as impossible as following Superman in flight. We might shadow Clark Kent up a flight of stairs, but not off a tall..
You Control This in 2021 The New Year stretches beyond eyesight. 366 days (It’s a leap year) 8,784 hours 527,040 minutes 31,622, 400 seconds During that..
How to See The Unseen Much in the world denies your identity in Christ. Hardship fights it. Your history denies it. Skeptics question it. Yet, lies form the basis of..
