Each of us has experienced the pain that enters our hearts when someone we love passes from this life. We are too familiar with the experience of mourning: black clothes and black cars; hushed voices speaking in solemn tones; flowers whose brilliant colors are drained as we view them through and endless flow of tears….
Category: I AM
Three Elements for Travel
Do you remember your first car? Mine was a 1972 Chevy Impala, two door hardtop. It was candy apple red with a white top and black interior. I think the car stereo I installed was probably worth more than the car itself. I remember driving around on summer Saturday nights, windows down, stereo blaring, with…
Listening to the Right Voice:: 4
The voice of the stranger and the voice of the hired hand both speak into the lives of the sheep for their own purposes. Over and against these two voices is the voice of the good shepherd. What characterizes the voice of the good shepherd? How do we know if we can accurately identify the…
Listening to the Right Voice:: 3
Yesterday I posted about the danger of listening to the voice of the stranger. There is little doubt in my mind that all of this talk about the voice of the stranger was a veiled reference to the influence that Satan attempts to have over the lives of Jesus’ sheep. Smart sheep don’t listen to…
Listening to the Right Voice:: 2
In his teaching regarding the “good shepherd,” Jesus described three voices that speak into our lives. The first, of which, was the voice of the stranger. When my children were young, we became aware of the importance of teaching our children about “stranger danger.” As parents we were diligent about telling our kids who to…
Listening to the Right Voice
The Gospel of John contains some of Jesus’ most profound teaching not the least of which is the discourse on the good shepherd in chapter 10. There are several ways this passage can be addressed, but the one I chose for this weekend’s message centered around the voices that speak into the lives of the…
Finding Security:: 3
Jesus’ promise to be the “gate” is still valid today. He offers security for our lives during these turbulent times. How, then, does Jesus provide security? Upon what basis is He able to make such a bold claim? I must confess I had to think about this for a while, but I settled, at least…
Finding Security:: 2
Gates have a couple of functions. For one, they provide a designated point of access; a place to enter and exit. Because of our strong evangelical leanings, we tend to make much of access into eternal life. So it would stand to reason that Jesus’ self description as the gate could make that impression. But…
Finding Security
My parents celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary yesterday. No, that’s not a typo. As the story goes, my father was 19 and my mother 16, a high school junior. They had to keep the marriage a secret until she graduated from high school. But that’s not the only thing that happened in 1943. Psychologist Abraham…
Bread that Satisfies:: 4
They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from…
