Bright sunny days in Michigan are rare! Today, I had to make myself stay at the computer to finish for Sunday and be at the multiple meetings that come along with my call. Everything in me wants to go outside, put on a jacket and go for a run in Erie Metro Park! I know…Read more Sunny Winter Day in Michigan
Jesus starts the conversation
Our twenty-one day fast is a time to think clearly and precisely about what it means to be a passionate follower of Christ. As we look to Him, it is not even necessary to say anything. He knows we are there! He strikes up the conversation! "The two disciples heard him say this, and they…Read more Jesus starts the conversation
The Sabbath that Pleases God
After telling us about the fast that pleases God, the prophet Isaiah tells us that God wants us to honor His Sabbath each week. Sabbath is a day of worship, a day for rest, a day for family and feasting. The sun sets, the Sabbath candles are lit, the family gathers for dinner. The sun…Read more The Sabbath that Pleases God
The Fast That Pleases God
My daily Bible reading took me to Isaiah 58 this morning. The classic passage of the kind of fast that pleases God. Since this is the eight day of our twenty one day fast, just a couple of thoughts today from that chapter. One - the fast that pleases the Lord is one that seeks…Read more The Fast That Pleases God
Fasting is Natural and Inevitable
“Fasting is the natural, inevitable response of a person to a grievous sacred moment in life.” Scott McKnight, Fasting[i] McKnight’s definition of fasting correlates with the commands and narratives in the Old Testament and New Testament about fasts. Appointed fasts were one of the ways the people of God remembered and responded in repentance to…Read more Fasting is Natural and Inevitable
Finding Joy in a Fast
It might sound odd to connect fasting and joy together. The quest for God’s direction is intense enough that it is only natural and joyful to forgo food or other comforts. When we enter into a fast with God as the desire of a lover’s heart, food comforts lose their appeal until our appetite for…Read more Finding Joy in a Fast
Comfort Food vs Comfort Foods
Comfort foods! Southern fried chicken, home made mashed potatoes and gravy, German chocolate cake, oatmeal fudge with pecans, I could go on and on. On cold snowy Michigan nights, hot cocoa with chunky chocolate chip cookies with walnuts and coconut, delicious! Today my appetite wants to respond to the snowstorm with all of the above!…Read more Comfort Food vs Comfort Foods
Why do we give?
Planned, wise and obedient generosity is a virtue commended in the Scripture. A passionate follower of Christ is that kind of giver. This giving is compassionate, empowering and healthy. It is this kind of giving that is feeding the hungry in Haiti, caring and educating children in Bangladesh, sending missionaries and church planters in unreached…Read more Why do we give?
How God enables self sufficiency
Faithfulness to the message of Jesus produces a generous heart in the life of a believer. Eventually we become more like our Savior. Christ taught us our treasure will be where our hearts are. God cares about your heart. A healthy heart is a generous one. A healthy heart is like Jesus. Of course the…Read more How God enables self sufficiency
Responding to God
We will soon begin a partial fast at Woodland Church. It's a spiritual discipline, that I'm grateful to have learned as a young man. Fasting is a proper way to respond to God during grief, a crisis, or as an act of contrition. We will seek the Lord with our spirit, soul and body. The Biblical…Read more Responding to God
Coram Deo 