how the nearness of God matters

The last part of Philippians 4:5 says, “The Lord is at hand.” Some take this to mean, Jesus is coming back soon. While that is true, it also means God is present. He is near. It’s when our life is chaotic, when we don’t feel so happy about our circumstances, or when we are tempted […]

James: How Faith Works

James knew that the world detested Christians, but he also knew the Christian faith was an active world-changing faith. It was a faith at work. In other words, faith had fruits of faith (i.e. works). It was a faith that looked like Jesus, talked like Jesus, and served like Jesus. With millions of Christians suffering […]

joy full

A lot about life in North Africa, if you’re not careful, can rob your joy. The heat. Heat rash. Tiredness. Travels. Knocks at the gate at 5:00am. Feeling used for services (ice, car rides, cell phone charging). Reverse proselytizing. Language barrier. Bluntness. Daily chores. Sickness. Lack of communication from the outside world. Feeling fellowship starved. […]

70 Portraits of Jesus in John’s Gospel

John—the beloved disciple of Jesus—writes so that people may believe that Jesus is the Son of God (20:31). John is a Jesus lover. And Jesus loves John too. This mutual love is seen in the way that John writes about Jesus. It’s as if he paints beautiful and endearing portraits of Jesus each able to […]

Galatians: In Defense of the Gospel

Galatians is about the Gospel. It is about protecting the good news because it is constantly under attack. Paul was ahead of his time when he wrote this letter to Galatia because the same issues they faced centuries ago we face today. Learn from Paul and the early church how to defend the gospel from […]

Jesus, the I AM, calls for your attention

To get my attention, my daughters will repeat a phrase over and over again, “Daddy, daddy, daddy! Come see this. Come see this. Come see this.” It can be a new ballet twirl to Sophia getting a boo-boo. It can be highly annoying, but it is often a good of getting my attention. When a phrase is repeated […]

Jesus as the Bookends of John’s Gospel

Bookends hold upright and support a row of books from end to end. Often times bookends are solid and sure. John’s Gospel has literary bookends that hold upright the content of his writing. John begins his Gospel with this intended purpose: Jesus Christ has always been and He will always be. The Creator God is Jesus Christ. In contrast […]