Advent and Christmas have both been such long traditions and celebrations in the lives of most Christians. So as we once again enter this season of the year, how well versed are you really  in some of the details that we hear in the stories and in the music of the season??

During those 40 days, Elijah was instructed by God to stand in the mouth of a cave. A giant wind, a strong earthquake and a fire went by but God was not in those. Following those, there was silence and a still, calm voice of God that spoke to him. It was in a calm and silent moment that Elijah experienced the small voice of God speaking to him.

 

I shared a video clip of a moment in 2003 that reminded me of what that small voice speaking in his ear must have felt like. If you would like to see that experience,CLICK HERE for the clip. 

This last week I made an unexpected, last minute cross country road trip moving my son, Dan, to Phoenix for a new job. All of his furnishings and belongings were loaded in a 16’ U Haul truck towing behind his car. 

 

After a second night’s hotel stay, we poured into the U Haul at 3 am. It was pitch black out and I was the designated driver for that leg of the journey. It is really eerie driving an unfamiliar vehicle into the sheer darkness of the night. This was new territory for me and so dark.

I look out my window today, and it is eerily silent. Not even a single bird has come to roost anywhere in my yard. My dog, Ava, does not even bother to look out the window where she normally gazes for long periods of time. 

Archived Posts

The Shepherd, the King, and the Rescuer

 

         God has got a long list of names, but some of those names are better than others.  There is a small child who thought God’s name was Harold since the Lord’s Prayer includes the phrase “Hallowed be thy name.”  When you think of all the scriptures that are most likely to be memorized you would have to include Psalm 23, The Lord’s Prayer, and John 3:16.  The danger for us is our tendency to focus on the wrong thing. 

Old Jokes Are The Best Jokes

 

Sunday morning, we took a look at Jesus’ command to make our enemies into neighbors and loving our neighbors as ourselves.  One of the obstacles to doing this is our growing sense of tribalism—whether it’s a political, socio-economic, or even theological tribe.

Public and Private Sin

All Was Fair Game for John the Baptist and for Christians Today

 

Sunday, we looked at the way John the Baptist was uncompromising about sin wherever he saw it at work.  We in the church have tended to focus mostly on private or personal holiness and have ignored prophetic judgment against public behaviors.  We didn’t have time Sunday, but I’d originally included examples of what would have been public sins back in the time of John and Jesus...

Let’s Not Overlook Joseph of Nazareth
I asked my research assistant—a certain ChatGPT—what the most interesting facet of Joseph’s life might be.  She shared a couple of things that didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon but you might still find inspirational...

Key Takeaway from Sunday

If I had to identify a specific take away from
Sunday’s sermon it would probably be this: