Good evening dear friend. Crises such as that which we are facing bring out the best and the worst in people, including Christians. As I mentioned two nights ago, when we turn to Philippians 2, we are standing on scriptural holy ground, both for what it teaches us about ourselves AND about Jesus. For that […]
Read More… from Sleep on This: Having the Mind of Christ (March 31)
Good evening friend! I ask it frequently, but how is your soul? Truly? Are you at peace? Are you finding yourself adapting to this new normal? I pray so—and I pray these little evening conversations are a help. I feel so much better, physically! I fought a bronchitis-cough for three weeks but have finally begun […]
Read More… from Sleep on This – March 30: walking in the harbor
At the time of Jesus, shepherds often had a kind of co-op sheep pen. Several shepherds would all put their sheep in the pen together at night. But how, in the morning, could they separate their sheep, one flock from another? Simple! The sheep knew the voice of their shepherd. All he had to do […]
Good evening friend! Covid-19 is highly contagious; we all know that. But so is kindness. I have had more sweet conversations in and around our neighborhood these last few days than any other comparable time since Cyndi and I moved here. And what I’m discovering is, if you START that conversation with the question, “Is […]
Good evening friend: How is your soul? Did you give it a good talking to yesterday, as I suggested? My soul is better because I took my first walk in several weeks. My cough (not COVID…just persistent) of three weeks had really limited my physical activity. But I seemed to turn a corner yesterday. And […]
Good evening friend! How is your soul? On Sunday, I challenged you to “keep calm and carry on.” It must be the case that we can actually tell ourselves how we ought to think and feel because the psalms are full of examples of such self-talk. In Psalm 42, for instance, David confesses his fear […]
Good evening friend! How is your soul this night? Breathe deeply even as you answer this question for yourself. Breathe and invite the Holy Spirit to come in and fill you anew. As you breathe out, exhale fear, anxiety, discouragement. In Philippians 1:27, Paul exhorts his readers: “Only let your manner of life be worthy […]
Good evening, friend. What a joy to share with you all in worship yesterday! A year ago, Pastor Ellis urged us to prepare our congregation for live streaming! I’m so glad we followed his advice! Thank God for technology that brings us together, even in a season of enforced solitude. It was fun to read […]
Good evening friend: “Selfish ambition.” That’s the phrase Paul uses in Philippians 1:17 to describe his “competitors.” Preachers who were using the opportunity of Paul’s imprisonment to advance their own reputation. With Paul on ice, these jealous rivals snatched the opportunity to steal some of his followers and impugn his reputation. It is really quite […]
A week ago last Wednesday as Cyndi and I were on an airplane flying to North Carolina to visit our daughter, the governor of our state of Washington was announcing the first of the restrictions intended to blunt the impact of COVID-19 upon the residents of our state. By the time we had landed in […]