On our farm in Wisconsin, we had apple trees, and a variety of other fruit. Each produced fruit according to its kind. Each had its own flavor. Each variety was fruit that we as a family enjoyed. In John 15 Jesus shares a parable. He says, “I am the vine; you are the...

I was visited by a Christian, who was a politician. He was seeking my support—and I suppose, by proxy, my church’s support—in a non-partisan election. As we got acquainted, he steered the conversation toward other issues, both moral and social, of great concern to him...

On a small mountain, just west of the Jordan River, even forty days of fasting could not weaken the resolve of Jesus. He had been led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. As Jesus prayed, the words of John the Baptist played on repeat in his mind,...

I stared out the window at the falling snow and felt the chill of January surround me. I felt angry at the cold. I felt angry that the current tides of life had picked me up, swept me along, and then dumped me off abruptly to sit in the emptiness of grief. Grief feels...

I’m a true crime junkie. Whether I’m on a road trip or working in the yard, there’s a good chance that I’m listening to the latest episode of a podcast, soaking in all the grisly details. And one theme that surfaces often in the true crime genre is the delusion of...

Jesus really loves kids! In fact, he tells us to be like them. What a blessing it is to see the “simple” faith of a child! God’s plan is for us to share our faith with them and then learn from them as we see that faith take hold. God’s design is for the family to be...

This letter pays tribute to a late pastor and community leader who was less concerned that people go to church simply to hear sermons, than he was that people know Christ. He challenged his congregation to “be the church by serving others generously.” It’s common in...

Jesus seemed to have no trouble with demons. Read through the four Gospels, and you will see how commonplace it was for Jesus to encounter and cast out demons. In the Gospels (NIV translation) there are 86 mentions of demons, counting also “impure spirits”—as they are...

After graduating high school in 1997, I planned to attend a four-year college and pursue a communication art and design degree. It just so happened that my mother’s cousin was the owner of a successful graphic design firm a few hours from us, and she arranged for me...

The humblest man… Who was the humblest person to ever live? If you’ve read Numbers 12:3, then you may recall that Moses was “more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” (And yes, I smile when I read that, because you know who wrote it? Moses!) Moses was...

It can be a nagging question: if we all have the same Holy Spirit in us, shouldn’t we have the exact same convictions on everything? If we are all reading the same Bible, and we all have been baptized into the same Spirit, then why don’t we agree about things more...