One of the first questions I got after being hired at Sardinia Baptist Church back in mid-March was “Would you be interested in leading a special service for Maundy Thursday?” I gave an enthusiastic “Yes!” I think it’s a shame when churches skip straight from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday. So much truly heavy stuff happened to Jesus and around Jesus in those days in between. It’s really not possible to appreciate Easter without reliving some of the pain, darkness, and brokenness that drove Jesus to the cross in the first place. Maundy Thursday, of course, is a recognition of…

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes. (Proverbs 26:4-5) I love these two proverbs and the way they appear side by side in Scripture.  If nothing else, they should serve as a warning against proof-texting theological opinions. And a word of precaution to those who confidently begin sentences with the words “The Bible clearly teaches …” 

My boss at Mission Resource is great at networking – which means he is always introducing me to interesting new people.  Today I met Jon, one of Dave’s longtime friends who happened to be back in Columbus for a friend’s funeral.  Jon is a videographer/artist/website designer who recently traveled to Ghana with Dave to capture some footage of Mission Resource’s work on the ground there. It had been several years since the last time we had a new video. Anyway, the resulting video is fantastic and I want to share it here to give you a better understanding of our…

The other day the YouTube algorithm served me a video entitled “Some CAUTION About The Bible Project!” What a bummer! I had just recently rediscovered The Bible Project – an online collection of about 150 excellently crafted videos explaining various books and themes of the Bible. I had browsed their collection and came away thoroughly impressed and determined to recommend The Bible Project as a valuable resource to other believers. Now I feared I had overlooked some terrible heresy lurking within their animated videos. After this initial fear, my reaction – as typical for me now in the 2020s –…

When Jesus rides into Jerusalem on “Palm Sunday”, the crowds shouted “Hosanna!” In Hebrew, hosanna means “Save, I pray!” or “Save now!” and it shares a root with the name of Jesus, “The Lord saves”.  For centuries the Jewish people had anticipated the coming of God’s Messiah, who would bring salvation.  They recognized Jesus as the one bringing salvation.  They recognized their need for salvation. The only thing they didn’t get was what they needed to be saved from.  How about us? Do we have a mental and spiritual grip on exactly what we need to be saved from? Really?

Last week our washing machine finally gave out. It served us well – even if noisily – for 16 years.  Given enough time, things fall apart.  Meanwhile, I am rapidly approaching my 55th birthday. My eyes are weak and my left ear gives me muffled reception and I am overdue for a colonoscopy. (Scared what THAT might discover.)  Entropy is a fact of the universe. Growing old is a daily battle of coming to grips with the unhurried power of entropy firsthand.  The only way to slow entropy is to add energy to a system. With effort, it can be…

I Corinthians 11:20-22a   “When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?“ When I came across this passage recently, I couldn’t help but think of every Haitian pitch-in I ever witnessed. Now and then our school would host some sort of celebration – a harvest or spring festival, a Christmas program, or a graduation…

I was annoyed to find frost on the windshield this late-March morning when I needed to drive Sarah to school. I hit the windshield wipers and most of the frost was swept away, but a thick fog coated the glass on the inside.  I cranked the defrost up to high and started to back out of the driveway. I decided that if I bobbed my head continuously, I could see well enough to not crash into any cars parked along the street.  And then I looked at my passenger … and remembered she had just received her learner’s permit a…

Of the 10 commandments, only 2 are positive: “Remember the Sabbath” and “Honor your father and mother.” All others are negative: “Do not kill”, “Do not covet”, “Do not make idols”, et cetera. The focus is on so-called sins of commission – doing things we ought not do.  Less attention is given to sins of omission – not doing the things we ought to do.  When Jesus comes on the scene, he gives 2 commandments saying these sum up ALL the other laws.  Surprisingly, they are both positive: “Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind” and “Love…

I had a professor at Asbury Seminary back in the late 90s who said, “As soon as you step into a pulpit, you double your chances of going to hell.” It was a statement about the risks inherent in carrying the responsibility of interpreting God’s word for others. Woe to anyone in authority who misrepresents God or His word – whether intentionally or not.   Writing a sermon each week is going to be an interesting new challenge. It is an underappreciated skill. And an odd experience … All that is to say: so far … I am loving it.