Posts from May 2026
The Whining Christian Schooled by Paul
Amazingly, the Apostle Paul seemed never to have worn the mantle of victimhood as a redeemed man, regardless of the physical suffering or social condemnation he experienced. It was antithetical to his “in Christ” perspective. He would not be put to shame as a person for whom Christ had died, risen, and ascended. He had it all! He could enumerate his insults and beatings to instruct, sure, but he wore them like a badge of honor. To suffer for Christ…
Figuring Out Christian Freedom: What Romans 14 Does and Does Not Say
Have you ever disagreed with another believer about whether or not something was allowable behavior? Your disagreement might have been about whether Christians may, or should not, watch sports on Sundays, watch R-rated movies, or hold jobs where serving alcohol is required. Christians on the “may” side of such disagreements usually argue that these types of activities are not specifically forbidden in the Bible. Christians on the “should not” side either point to a passage of Scripture they believe does…
Our Plan for Handling Church Finances
The elders of Christ Fellowship spent several weeks studying the subject of church finances. Our desire was to honor God by following the leadership of the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ. We focused on numerous passages of Scripture in an attempt to properly understand more of what the Bible teaches on this subject. While we did not conclude that we had been disobedient to God in the way we had handled church finances previously, our study did provide us…
Dear Eden from Sweden
I write poetry for my grandchildren as their “PaJim.” This is one. We have a strain of Swedish ancestry on my wife’s side — a farm family in Sweden who moved to Canada and then to Minnesota in the 1800s. This poem reflects that connection. Likely the members of that family used “kulning” to call the cattle. Before you read this poem, listen to the enchanting kuhning of Jonna Jinton at this address to understand the poem better: https://youtu.be/KvtT3UyhibQ?feature=shared. The…
Closing With Christ: Rethinking What Has Become Sacrosanct
[This is an article written many years ago now, but still useful for many of us. My tone was fairly strong because of the urgency I felt. I still hope it stirs us up. Thank you for reading it.] When modern evangelical churches seek to bring the unregenerate to Christ (and they should do so with passion), they often fall prey to a formula which produces disappointing results. The pattern runs something like this: Extending a public altar call Praying…
That’s Daddy!
You know what it’s like to feel all alone, even afraid, but then somebody comes along and just their presence brightens your outlook and gives you strength. Joshua was faced with an overwhelming situation as he was about to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Moses was now dead, so this monumental, lonely leadership task fell to Joshua. At this moment, the Lord charged him, “Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6, 9). But where would…
The Spirit Moves Us Around—Some Reflections
“And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and…
Cataracts of Unbelief Remaining
We are not perfect believers. Cataracts of unbelief cloud our sight and therefore we still stumble, much to our dismay. However, if we gaze intently at his glory revealed in his word to us, due to the transforming aid of the Spirit, our sight of him is clarified from one degree to another creating increasing conformity to him. And, we look with hope because we know that when we see him as he is, there will be no filtering doubts…
The Negotiables: Must We Forever Do Things The Same Way?
I am a lover of the local church in any form I find it, provided we mean the same thing by “church.” I’ve had sixty years of ministry in all kinds of churches, internationally and here in the States. I have seen some great ones and some very sad, sickly ones—and that has little to do with size. If it is a true church, however, I’m for it and wish to see it flourish. I’ve not lost my enthusiasm for…
Fences
It had not occurred to me that the fences in view on our back porch were so much in the style of colonial America. Such fences always impressed me when visiting Williamsburg in Virginia. The very wealthy might have wrought iron or stone, but the common fence 250 years ago was four feet high and wooden, sometimes painted but often not, just like ours. There is a warmth to that, as I look out over the fences here among neighbors,…