Thought For the Week

Dear Friends, Warmest regards to all on this day before the start of Lent, in the year of our Lord 2026! I hope your day is going well and you are (like me) counting down the days – 47 to be exact – until we get to celebrate Easter, or Resurrection Sunday. Lent is a longstanding tradition in Christian circles, and one that is useful if observed with a desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Today’s entry is not specifically about Lent, although it points in that direction. It is the testimony of one man’s journey to faith in Jesus. A man who worked as a medical missionary in Madras, India, from 1836 until his death in 1855. I am sending it to you because when I walked into my office this morning, moved one book, and found a very small book hidden behind it! It is literally 2 inches wide by 3 inches high and 5/8 of an inch thick, with 214 pages! It’s an embossed leather-bound book, published by “The American Tract Society” in 1846. Its title is: “Provision for Passing ...

Dear Friends, As much as I try to be one who keeps politics out on the pulpit, or my teaching, if you live in the United States it is becoming harder not to address it. It fills the airwaves, social media posts, news station reports, and conversations at the cafeteria, gym, workplace and home. Each source and person has their own particular slant, and to totally ignore the conversation is to be out of touch. Therefore, the “thought” I share today (which was sent to me this morning by a friend) I pass along to you. I do so because his words struck a chord in me. Not everyone will agree. I know that and accept whatever consequences or feedback I will receive because of it. After all, when does total agreement on everything ever happen nowadays? (Though as one who has studied much history, I know it's more than naïve to suggest there was ever a time when everyone agreed on everything.)  Yet, that be as it may, I offer you this post by a man named James Bell, a pastor from Michigan....

Dear Friends, In light of Holocaust Remembrance Day last week, January 27th, I thought I would take the time today to post some “thoughts” or quotes from Corrie ten Boom, whose name was made known worldwide through the book and movie that followed, called, “The Hiding Place.” It was released my second year in college (when I was 18, and 5 years before I came to faith in Christ). I was so taken in by her heroism and willingness to risk life and limb, doing what was against the law in occupied Holland at the time, and hiding Jewish people from the Nazis. Even as an unbeliever she and her family were quite an inspiration to me, risking the wrath of the Nazi’s for breaking the law to not only hide Jewish people in a secret room in their house, but helping them escape the country, and thereby saving many lives. She, along with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, were two of my earliest heroes of the Christian faith. People who not only had faith but sought to live it out in their lives – despite ...

Dear Friends, It was, to say the least, a difficult weekend for many. My prayers go out for all, and for our nation, as we work through the events that took place, and dig out from the storm (literal and figurative). It's been one of those weeks where I felt we all needed a little upward gaze. I know that in difficult times it is hard to speak of God’s sovereignty. We ask: “How could God________.” Yet, whether we realize it or not, that question alone suggests we already believe he is sovereign. We ask because we believe God could have intervened and prevented something from happening but did not. The question would not even come to mind if we did not believe he could have made it turn out different. Of course, I will not even attempt to address all the ins and outs of God’s sovereignty. Not in one little thought, since this one subject involves so much it would take a lengthy book or series of books! Therefore, I simply offer a couple of short “thoughts” to get you sta...

Dear Friends, I called a friend today and he asked me if I would write a short message on why being involved in a church is important. He has a son who says he is a believer but sees no need to go to church. I told him I would put something together and send it along. (He’s a recipient of these weekly “thoughts” and will soon be reading this!) If you wrestle with that, or have spoken to people who do, maybe this could help you too. Enjoy. Why We Belong Together 1. God’s Design for Community From the beginning, God intended His people to gather together, not live in isolation. Scripture calls Jesus the “Cornerstone” and each believer a “living stone” being built into a spiritual house. In other words, we are the body of Christ with many members. No part was meant to go solo. We are not called to be “home Baptists” (if I might use that common term). God’s design was never to save and fill people with His Spirit and His gifts so that they alone could be the beneficiaries...

Dear Friends, Sitting in my office, my eyes scanned the bookshelves and fell upon one particular book: "Addiction and Grace" by Gerald G. May, M.D. I opened it, read the first chapter, and decided to pass along his testimony. Why? Because I’ve come to see that addiction is far more prevalent than we would like to think, limiting it (as we often do) to alcohol, drugs, porn, or sex addiction and occasionally throwing in workaholism. I found his testimony powerful and therefore share it with you! Enjoy.     “Wherever it is that your treasure lies, there you will find your heart also.” Matthew 6:21 "After many years of listening to the yearnings of people's hearts, I am convinced that all human beings have an inborn desire for God. Whether we are consciously religious or not, this desire is our deepest longing and our most precious treasure. It gives us meaning. Some of us have repressed this d...