Did you know that when Jesus reminded the multitude that they were “the light of the world, a city set on a hill”, and “the salt of the earth” He was not speaking to born-again Christians, but to a motley crowd of Galileans? (After all, He had neither died on the cross, nor been resurrected at that point). And do we also realize that when he declared, “The Kingdom of God is within you”, (Luke 17:2...  Read More

Reading Time: 6.5 Minutes A friend recently asked me for some thoughts about how we can know the truth.  With so many ideas, stories, and opinions out there even within the church, it’s no small task to settle with reasonable confidence on what is TRULY true.  And yet I can think of nothing so important in these turbulent days as having this north star to guide us. Several decades of classroom exp...  Read More

When the time came for Jesus to begin his earthly ministry, he went to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, a place with which he was familiar, to find men he could disciple. The region of Galilee was a significant commercial area with a prosperous fishing industry. Jesus knew the way of life of the local fishermen, who went out fishing all night to sell their catch in the morning.Simon and Andrew ha...  Read More

Reading Time 3.5 Minutes"God bless my plan." For a very long time I have said this mockingly as an example of exactly the type of prayer we should not pray. Living a Christian life requires us to surrender our lives to Christ, which means we live according to his plan and not ours. I still believe that to be true, but recently found a little more insight that indicated there may be more nuance to ...  Read More

Reading Time 3.5 MinutesI don’t know about you, but I am exhausted. The odds against this being a good world anymore seem overwhelming. Our world seems to be getting worse and it also seems like we can do nothing about it. Just look at climate disasters and worldwide tensions.Climate disasters: Over the past five years, the U.S. alone has experienced an average of $18B climate disasters per year i...  Read More

Reading Time 4 MinutesWhen WWI ended, hundreds of shell-shocked French soldiers could not remember who they were. Faulty military records provided no help. How could those victims of amnesia be reunited with their families?The French held an Identification Rally in Paris, which was announced throughout France. On the planned day, thousands of people gathered in a large plaza. One by one bewildered...  Read More

Reading Time 1 MinuteEaster focuses us on Christ's physical resurrection from the tomb, and well it should. It is the central event of Christianity. Without the tomb our faith lacks meaning. 1 Corinthians 15: 13-14As Christians, we have the faith and hope that we, too, will be raised to life in Christ's eternal kingdom with a physical body as his at the resurrection. Spiritually, however, we exper...  Read More

Reading Time: 3 minutesEvery day now it seems like we are being confronted by more, faster, and bigger change. I don’t like change. Change is hard. Besides, my life is fine now, thank you. So, to have to do something new, and different, makes me uncomfortable and unhappy. I long for the good old days. Nevertheless, change is inevitable. And change can be good or bad. How do we know the difference?...  Read More

This week's Kingdom Story comes courtesy of Dr. Paul Tripp. Tripp has a deep and extensive ministry and an exquisite understanding of Christ's Kingdom. This content was originally posted by Paul Tripp on www.paultripp.com , where you can learn more about him and his ministry. This specific item may be found at https://www.paultripp.com/wednesdays-word/posts/see-people-as-people . We offer it as a ...  Read More

Reading Time: 4 minutesAt the turn of the 20th century The London Times posed a question to its readers: “What’s wrong with this world?” Perhaps you have recently asked the same question. One response, penned by the English writer, poet, and philosopher G. K. Chesterton, was brilliant. He wrote, “Dear Sirs, I am.” How’s that for honesty? Unlike Chesterton, when God asked Adam what he had done, he ...  Read More

Reading Time: 2.5 minutes I just watched It's a Wonderful Life for the most recent time of a number greater than I care to admit. Suffice it to say, I'm a fan. I have always been drawn to the redemptive message of the film, with the additional appeal of wondering what life would be like if I had not been born. This time, however, the Kingdom jumped out and grabbed me.If you are unfamiliar with the...  Read More

Reading Time: 6 minutes. This is a Christmas sermon I preached 14 years ago. I share it often at Christmas. It is a little longer than our usual Stories, but I think you will not regret the time invested in reading it.  A special recognition for Pastor Ken Gaub who provided much of the content and inspiration. The title is his and much of the description of his personal story for which I have lost...  Read More

The grocery seems to be a place where I find the Kingdom more easily. (See The Kingdom in a Grocery Aisle) My most recent experience occurred a few days ago.  Read More

This summer we completed an extended road trip that had us visiting many relatives and friends across a number of states. That required me to book a few hotels. The hotels all seemed to offer chat services to help with booking. One made interaction with a live human almost impossible by steering me into the artificial intelligence of the chat. After an extended exchange with the chat bot, I received this message: "I recognize your words but do not understand your message."  Read More

Reading time: 4 MinutesAmidst all the turmoil and polarization in the United States and other nations, this is still a wonderful world! Yes, it is a fallen world where bad things happen to good people. Yet, Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33The Christian story is one of unprecedented love, forgiveness, passion, sacrific...  Read More

Reading Time: 2 MinutesHaving compassion takes courage. Having compassion takes resolve.  Having compassion is not simply a feeling of sympathy for another or a passing feeling of pain, it is a willingness to enter into and, in one sense, carry a person's pain. In his exploration on what it takes to practice compassion, Henri Nouwen wrote:“Who can listen to a story of loneliness and despair withou...  Read More

Reading Time: 2.5 Minutes A friend recently observed, “If the church doesn’t offer our young people the Kingdom of God, they will look for it in “wokeness.”   That statement landed on me like a load of bricks.  So-called “Woke” Christianity is a deadly counterfeit of the Kingdom that promises a world of tolerance and equity at the expense of the God-man and Savior of the world.  The Christ of the ...  Read More

Reading Time: 2 minutesThis week’s unfolding nightmare in Israel and Gaza is the tragic result of missing what we were made for. The Palestinians have missed it, but so have the Israelis, the nations, and many Christians, including some of us.We humans are designed for a Kingdom, for a territory that’s safe, free, beautiful, blessed, and prosperous. God designed us to exist in a “homeland for the ...  Read More