Focal Passage: I  Samuel 2:22-26, 3:7-10, 15-18  Before vocational ministry, I was a deckhand on a fishing boat. Whether it’s snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico or catfishing in the Tennessee River, every fisherman knows the rarer the fish the more exciting the catch. For example, we were going through the motions of a typical day offshore catching snappers when quite literally, out of the blue, we hooked a

Focal Passage: Numbers 27:12-23  You know the Great Commission, “Go therefore and make converts. …” If you’re familiar with Matthew 28:19 you’re aware that is wrong. Jesus calls His followers to make disciples, not converts. To be clear, conversion is a biblical, necessary experience (Acts 15:3).  The Oxford dictionary defines conversion as, “a change in one’s religious beliefs.” Trusting Christ is so much more than a change in a belief

Focal Passage: Exodus 18:9-11, 14-21  A burning bush, a split sea, broken tablets before an idol of gold. When one considers the life of Moses it is likely that one of these iconic biblical scenes comes to mind. Moses is one of the most well-known people in the entire Bible and the key figure in some of the most dynamic and important parts of the Old Testament.  One of the

Focal Passage: Numbers 12:1-15  Being unduly critical, without warrant and grace, is sin. In fact, the Bible calls believers to put away all kinds of attitudes, behaviors, and speech. As Ephesians 4:29-32 notes we are to put away filthy talk, bitterness, anger, slander, malice, and gossip. If most people followed this biblical admonition they would say very little. Through the story of Moses recorded in Numbers 12 we see what

Focal Passage: Ephesians 6:10-18  Temptation is real. So real that we must be on constant guard against falling into temptation.  But how does one guard against temptation? What tools or resources has God given us to ward off the temptation to sin? The good news is that God has given us every resource we need. We call these resources the armor of God. The armor of God is of little

Focal Passage: Psalm 32:1-7  Can a person who has sinned be restored to usefulness in the kingdom of God, especially a Christian leader?  This has been an age-old question in the church since the Donatist controversy of the fourth century — does the efficacy of the work of the church (the ordinances) solely depend on the character of the minister or does their efficacy reside in and of themselves? The

Focal Passage: Deuteronomy 6:10-15; Matthew 4:8-11   We love people, places and things. We rightly love people, we cherish places, and we rightly enjoy the good things of life. Yet, when we love people, places, and things more than we love God we have committed a form of idolatry that is dangerous and deadly. We are prone to idolatry. Sixteenth century theologian John Calvin fought the battle of idolatry when

Focal Passage: Deuteronomy 6:16-25; Matthew 4:5-7  To say that we trust God is one thing, but to deliberately put God in a position where He must prove His trustworthiness without necessary warrant is sin.  In other words, we can trust that God will take care of us as we obey His commands.  Yet, it is sin to deliberately “set God up” in such a way to show others that God

Focal Passage: Deuteronomy 8:2-10; Matthew 4:1-14  We are self-assured, aren’t we? We think we can handle just about anything on our own. Sadly, many Christians think this way. In fact, I would argue that many Christians think that the course of the Christian life goes something like this — I trust Jesus for salvation, but the rest is left up to me.  Salvation belongs to God, but we are on

Focal Passage: James 1:13-18   To be tempted to sin is the universal experience of humanity, both for Christians and non-Christians.  The difference between the two is that the Christian has the awareness and the tools to overcome a variety of temptations, the unbeliever does not. Let’s do an autopsy on temptation through James 1:13-18 so that we might see how it works in order to conquer those temptations that