Category: Postcards from the Edge

Passion is a word with multiple uses. We use it to describe the relationship of those who are romantically involved. There are also instances when passion is used to describe feelings so intense that it is implicated with our behavior, such as a crime of passion. We use passion as a descriptor of Jesus’ suffering…

In 1271, Niccolo and Mateo Polo went to visit the great Kubla Kahn, who at that time was ruler of India, China and most of the far east. Kubla Kahn was so impressed with the message of Christianity that he requested 300 trained missionaries be sent to his kingdom to learn more about the Christian…

Yesterday I shared two imperatives that Christ gave the Church at Sardis. Today I want to share the next two. If you didn’t read yesterday’s post you’ll want to catch up before reading further. 3. “Go back to where you started!” If you’ve ever lost anything, one strategy you may employ is to retrace your…

Write this letter to the angela of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for…

What do we need to know about holiness? The Bible affirms time and time again that we are the holy people of God. But what does that mean? To be holy means to be consecrated or set apart for Gods special purposes. Let me explain it this way. When my wife and I got married,…

Holy Bible. Holy Spirit. Holy Ghost. Holy People. We use the word holy all of the time in Church, but do we really know what it means? My dad grew up in the Great Depression. His mother died when he was five years old. Church was always a part of his struggling family’s life, and…

“Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love. How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded” (2 John 3-4,…

Pergamum was an interesting church. Located about 55 miles north of Smyrna, it was known for education, housing the second largest library in the world at that time. It was also a place of religious pluralism. There were six major temples in Pergamum, three devoted to the gods of Greek mythology and three dedicated to…

Jesus never spoke of discipleship without referencing the cross. Perhaps the most familiar of these references is found in Luke 9:23, where Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me” (NLT). Often I hear people apply this…

One of the reasons for the rapid rise of Hitler’s influence in Germany was his manipulation and use of religion. Hitler understood that if he could persuade the pastors of Germany’s churches he could increase the tempo of his plan for world domination. Playing upon the Jew’s role in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, he…