An Unexpected Announcement – Luke 2:8-20
Have you ever been caught off guard by an announcement from a family member or friend regarding an unplanned pregnancy? Maybe the mother-to-be has long struggled to have kids. Maybe...
I Am Not the Enemy – Gal. 2:1-10
We Christians are a strange lot. We are supposed to be very different than the world. In many respects we are, but in others, we aren't. For example, consider how...
A Tyrant’s Conversion – Gal. 1:13-24
Last week's study served as an introduction to the book of Galatians. As a reminder, the book is actually a letter written by Paul to the churches in Galatia. It...
Only God Is True – Gal. 1:1-12
Today we begin the book of Galatians. It's pretty short book – just 6 chapters – so we'll get through it in probably 6-8 weeks. I also plan to take...
Is Christian Patriotism Scripturally Justifiable?
NOTE: This piece was originally written some 13 years ago during the Obama administration. At the time, I was pastoring a small church in upstate NY. This particular topic was...
The Moral of the Story – Eccl. Chpt. 12
Every good story has lessons to teach. Even stories written purely for entertainment still offer lessons – sometimes obvious, other times hidden. Yet they are there to be learned. That's...
Paralyzed By Possibilities – Eccl. Chpt. 11
We have reached a point in Ecclesiastes where Solomon is trying to make sense of what he has learned, for the benefit of the reader. He is trying to summarize...
Fools Ruin Everything – Eccl. Chpt. 10
Scripture says that, "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." ( Prov. 22:15). I suspect that...
Just Passing Through – Eccl. Chpt. 9
There is an old hymn that says, "This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue." Its main thrust is...
Life in an Evil World – Eccl. 8
The world can seem like a pretty depraved place at times. In fact, some days it seems like there is no end to the evil. But how do we...