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Theologians and teachers of God’s word frequently discuss the importance and purpose of the cultural context in which Scripture was written. This is a wise understanding to grasp. It helps us accurately apply Scripture to the cultural context in which the word was...
Knowing where we came from and discovering our true identity is an important realization. At creation, we were created to bear God's image: "So, God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God, he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis...
When I was a street cop, I never quite understood some people's reactions to me when I had to make an arrest. The popular refrain from those who did not like what they witnessed was, “You’re a pig!” It didn’t occur to them to wait to discover a fuller understanding...
Thirty years ago, I bought a chef’s knife in Toledo, Spain. The town has been famous for centuries for the fine work of its cutlery craftsmen and the quality of the steel used in its blades. In the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Morgan Freeman portrays Azeem,...
For the last few years, I felt a shift take place. It was a shift in the content of my writing and preaching. While I continued to write and preach encouraging words, an element of warning and challenge appeared. Along with those warnings and challenges was an...
Our northern neighbors in Canada are in jeopardy of being renamed Chinada. News is coming out of Canada via independent news sources revealing what is taking place in that nation, despite the limited reporting offered by the restricted and biased Canadian...
There is a greater threat to the Church than governmental overreach or forced compliance to unwanted mandates. That greater threat is a loveless life. John addressed this subject in his first letter “If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it...
Some of the most impactful people in human history were those who were willing to speak a truth that challenged the status quo of deception. Those brave individuals were not interested in the compromise required to keep a culture blind, misinformed, and enslaved....
In the coming days, the current not-so-civil culture war taking place in the United States will expand its influence and deepen its impact. Dark spirits manipulating governments outside our borders are behind some of this division. This is not the first time in...
Some of the jeopardy we experience in life happens because we did not take the time to prepare. I do a few things to reduce risk that might seem over the top to an unprepared person until a situation appears and they are left without viable options. This is not just a...
I received a glimpse of something taking place behind the veil that separates the seen and unseen world. When the Lord first captured my attention, I heard the sound of a face being slapped. That one slap became a loud chorus of a multitude of slapping impacts. Then I...
The cultural tornado of the last two years is passing by leaving in its wake a path of destruction. Restrictions are beginning to lift. While it may appear we are entering “the peace after the storm” phase, it will be a false peace. The same spirits that created the...
The disciples of Jesus were just like us. They had a propensity to get into arguments about who was the greatest and most informed among them. The disciples were all over the place when it came to interpreting reality. The only thing that eventually drew them together...
One of the greatest messages on social protest I ever heard was from my pastor, Roy Hicks Jr. It took place one Sunday morning 40+ years ago at Faith Center in Eugene, Oregon where Roy was the pastor. Just before Roy began his sermon, he made a comment regarding a...
Every one of us has certain switches that once flipped will change the direction of our life. Some of these switches are instinctive, others are the result of training. I once read a story of a mother whose child was being crushed under a vehicle. The mother in a...