I invite you to turn with me to the book of Philippians. Philippians 1:12-18. Philippians is in the New Testament – Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. Last week, we started our fall sermon series: Rejoice. Philippians is a letter of joy from a place of hardship. A much needed word for all of us in the…
If you have a Bible with you, I invite you to turn or scroll with me to the book of Philippians. Philippians, chapter 1. If you do not have a Bible, don’t fret, but simply open your ears and prepare your heart to hear God’s Word. We are beginning a new series this morning through…
J. Todd Billings, The End of the Christian Life: How Embracing Our Mortality Frees Us to Truly Live. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2020. “He won’t live to see his daughter graduate high school.” This was my first, aching thought when I heard the prognosis of J. Todd Billings’ cancer diagnosis as his student in seminary.…
This morning we reach the climax of the story of the sons of Jacob. We are spent the summer walking our way with the brothers in the pits of life, seeing God’s faithfulness along the way. In our passage this morning, reconciliation breaks in like light breaking through the clouds. If you have a Bible…
Sanderson, Brandon. Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia. New York: Scholastic Press, 2009. 320 pages. B+: In this third installment of the Alcatraz series, the boy with the talent for breaking things finally leaves the Librarian-controlled Hushlands for the Free Kingdoms. However, so have the librarians. Caught between a plotting mother and indifferent father, Alcatraz…
This morning we reach the end of the book of Genesis. Genesis 50, beginning in verse 1. Next week I will be gone but then we will come back and listen well to the letter of Paul to the Philippians, listening for Joy in Christ. Yet today, we reach the end of Genesis. Last week,…
We are closing in on the end of our journey through Genesis. Next week will be the last week in Genesis, then I will be gone for a week, and then we will start through the book of Philippians, exploring Rejoicing in the midst of trial. But this morning, we are in Genesis 48 and…
If you have a Bible with you, feel free to open it with me to Genesis 47. Genesis 47, beginning in verse 1. Genesis is the first book in the Bible. If you don’t have a Bible with you, simply open your ears and your heart to hear God’s Word. We are picking up the…
How do we read the Bible? In particular, how do we read in such a way that our hearts change? If we spend any amount of time reading the Bible, sooner or later we will be reading and find ourselves wondering, ‘God what are you saying to me here?’ We might have all the facts…
Sanderson, Brandon. The Bands of Mourning. New York: Tor Books, 2016. 447 pages. B+: The penultimate volume in the Wax & Wayne saga leaves as many questions as it answers. The individual drama of this book has a clear and decisive ending, but it understandably leaves the reader anticipating the final volume. In typical Sanderson…
