“Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone” (Romans 12:19, NIV). My wife Jeanie regularly talks with her older sister who lives in a small town in Nebraska. Her older sister is one of the most talented, intelligent, wonderful, caring, generous and moral people you could ever know. Through the years […]
What’s Your Method? Did Jesus really command us to preach the Gospel to all creation? Well, there it is, in Mark 16:15: “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’” At first glance, it seems a little extreme, doesn’t it? What difference is the Gospel going to […]
For all 17 years we have lived in our current home, we’ve had a pair of mourning doves who have nested in the covered entry way to our home, on an upper ledge, not more than six feet from our front door. I seriously doubt it’s been the same pair of mourning doves; I doubt […]
Just how much has changed in the past six weeks became apparent to me once again, this time in a doctor’s office. I was seeing my infectious disease specialist, Dr. Parker, about the infection from my recent Achilles tendon surgery. However, I was just as intent on quizzing him about what he recommended I do […]
It’s Spring. And like the rest of America during the Covid-19 crisis, we’re stuck at home. And if you’re my wife, that means it’s time for Spring cleaning! I’ve resisted the urge, but Jeanie’s whirlwind of cleaning ambitions motivated me to clean out my file cabinet. I came to a file overflowing with various oddly […]
“I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 4:4). “You’re So Vain” is the title of a hit song of the ‘70s by singer Carly Simon. It depicts her evaluation of […]
Diversity. Tolerance. Inclusivity. These are the buzzwords, the politically correct, celebrated virtues of our current American culture. Let’s be honest with ourselves. All these are very commendable qualities . . . when rightly applied. God created diversity—He’s incredibly creative. He has been supremely tolerant, for thousands of years, with our sin (see Romans 2:4). And […]
As I’ve mentioned on a number of occasions, God has apparently called me to be a missionary to the medical community in Reno. Due to my frequent visits for both emergency and chronic medical conditions, I have repeated opportunities to share the Gospel with medical personnel in our city. I have now shared my Covid-19 […]
Detecting Cultural Deception “Do not be deceived.” The phrase occurs four times in the New Testament. In each case, it warns Christians about downplaying the very real consequences of sin. And it has never been more relevant than it is in our country today. Just how subtle and hard to detect spiritual deception can be […]
Practicing What You Preach I was reading the Gospel of Matthew in the New International Version the other day, and noticed that Jesus talked about the very subject of our devotion today. He was condemning the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law as they were in the process of condemning Him to death: “So […]