Growing Deeper Into the Soil of God's Word to Bear Fruit For His Kingdom
Who is like the Lord our God, who sits on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. (Ps 113:5-7) Sometimes a prayer comes at just the right time. God takes all our feeble plans and hopes,... Continue Reading →
“For I eat ashes like bread, and mingle tears with my drink, because of your indignation and anger; for you have lifted me up and thrown me aside. My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass. But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; Your name endures to all generations.” (Ps. 102:9-12)... Continue Reading →
to the leader. A psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone into Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, According to your steadfast love. According to you abundant mercy, Blot out my transgressions.” (Ps. 51:1) Every prayer has a story. Whether it’s the simple cry, “Help!”, a... Continue Reading →
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. (Ps 23) Before meeting my wife, I knew nothing about farming. I'd never ridden or driven a tractor, picked stones, baled hay, or 'done chores.' I didn't feel deprived, by any means, but once I experienced some of... Continue Reading →
In response to the recent shootings in Santa Barbara, the hashtag #YesAllWomen has swarmed social media sites. Millions of tweets have begun or ended with #YesAllWomen – signaling their intended support of the movement. Originally, I noticed a few friends of ours using the hashtag on twitter to share stories and statements supporting women and... Continue Reading →
The next day we landed at Sidon, and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends, so they might provide for his needs. (Acts 27:3) Paul is headed to Rome. He has appealed for trial before Caesar and has begun his long journey to the capital of the empire. It is... Continue Reading →
Summer time is reading time in the Shaffer household. For most of the last decade, the majority of my reading has taken place in school, between September and May. Now that I have graduated and moved into a full-time pastoral call, my schedule has shifted. I now read most between May and September. When the... Continue Reading →
If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Mt 16:24) Growing up in the church, Jesus’ call to deny yourself was a deeply personal challenge. I was being called to put aside my own interests, my own ego, and my own desires in favor of... Continue Reading →
For Moses has been preached in every city since the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath. (Acts 15:21) Acts 15 begins with the church in conflict about entrance in the community. The members of the party of the Pharisees believed that the Jewish rite of circumcision should be required of... Continue Reading →
The controversy surrounding gender and women in leadership seems only to be heating up instead of cooling down. In many ways, the Christian community is more polarized than it was even two decades ago. Christians in leadership and in the pews are feeling forced to choose between being a complementarian (those who argue that men... Continue Reading →
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