Posts from 2024

Hi there! Can you tell me who was the first shepherd mentioned in the Bible? Do you know who was a shepherdess according to Genesis 29? Did you know that Moses was married to a shepherdess? It’s true. It’s in the Bible. Shepherds is a major theme in the Bible. They are everywhere not only in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament as well. I remember growing up as a little boy, my parents brought out our Nativity…

I’ve done lots of pre-marriage counseling over the years, and I have always enjoyed it. Of course, I have done weddings for people who were all ages. Pre-marriage visits are always enjoyable and the couples are always ‘giddy’ about getting married no matter what age they are. I think the oldest couple I did a wedding for were in the 80’s… and yes, they were delightfully giddy and behaved just like high school kids all over again. It’s pretty fun…

Last week we began our Advent Season with John the Baptist and his parents, Zachariah and Elizabeth. We saw that John was the forerunner of Jesus, the Messiah. Intertwined with the story of Zachariah and Elizabeth, is the story of Jesus’ mother, Mary. Mary and Elizabeth were relatives, and despite the difference in the women’s ages, their miraculous babies would arrive within months of each other. While Elizabeth’s pregnancy was a cause for celebration, Mary’s was a bit more problematic.…

What do you remember about John the Baptist in the Bible? Do you remember he was the forerunner to Jesus? Do you remember he was the one who baptized Jesus in the river? He tried to stop Jesus when Jesus asked to be baptized by him. However, after Jesus did some convincing, he finally gave in. But John was also a strange little fellow, wouldn’t you say? The Bible said he lived in the Judean desert for a long time.…

This coming Sunday morning at 10am, we are dedicating our worship time to practice the incredible spiritual habit of GIVING THANKS. Of course, next Thursday is the wonderful American holiday of Thanksgiving. Even though the world shares a few holidays with our culture, this one is truly an American holiday that is so special, and… it is so biblical… it encompasses the beautiful spiritual habit of giving thanks to God. So what does our Sunday worship time look like? How…

When I was 15 years old my grandmother bought a plane ticket for my cousin and I from Texas to Fairbanks, Alaska. It was a dream trip for a 9th grade kid, and it was my first ever commercial airplane ride. I have an uncle who lived there then and still lives there today. To top all this off, he was at that time a bush pilot taking frequent flights all over central and north slope Alaska. Unbelievably fun flying…

I’ve heard the term ‘The Total Depravity of Man’ much of my life, especially when I have studied books and classes on theology. It sort of rolls off my tongue these days and makes us feel so theologically intelligent.  I know that most of you have heard me use that term a great deal in my preaching over the years. Last year this was a major theme when I taught through the book of Romans. The term “Depravity”  sounds so…

When I was a child growing up in Sunday School, of course we focused on Bible Stories. I loved my children’s Bible because not only were the stories pretty cool, but the illustrations and paintings that helped tell the story were memorable and wonderfully visual. My Bible would take a great story and help create an image in my mind that made aided in making it real. Interestingly enough, as a teenager when I began to make a real concerted…

If you grew up with either a little bit or a lot of a “Churchy” background, then invoking the name of Jesus at least in some way is not that abnormal. You or your family may not have believed deeply or trusted Jesus with the day to day of life, but at least if there was some kind of acknowledgement of Him at Christmas time or Easter, then you were not out of line. And absolutely when there is a…

This is our week… our Missions Focus week… that we call GIC (Global Impact Celebration). As a Pastor of LifeWay it is my privilege to help guide this congregation in the many aspects of our ministry and endeavors. I love the Christmas season and its services. I love summer camps and the connections. I love Easter and its glorious celebration. But I love this GIC week the most. Why? Because I believe it hits at the heart of why God…

Did you know that one six out of every ten apples that are eaten in the USA comes from the State of Washington? Even though the population of our state makes up only 2% of the national population, our apples make up 60% of the consumption in the USA! Apples are easily the largest crop that is produced in our state, and Wenatchee happens to be the hub of it all. But what makes it even more interesting is that…

Living in the 21st century, you and I don’t usually speak in parables to each other. But in the 1st century, I sense it was a bit more common to hear people speak in parables. Jesus spoke parables. Some counted he spoke about 50 parables in the Bible. But I think the number is closer to 30. It is possible to me he spoke even more than that, but they were not recorded in the Bible. Do you like parables?…

When we go to the annual state fair (which just occurred this month) many of us like to pretend we are farmers or ranchers. As we go and visit the horse barn at the fair or go to the rodeo arena, we love to watch the riders and pretend to know the differences between horse breeds. When we take our kids to the pig barn and watch the momma pig with 13 little piglets, we pretend to know all about…

I was never really much of a baseball player, but I know that if I were I would hate the pressure of being the 3rd out when your team was up to bat. For most of you I likely don’t need to explain the basics of how a baseball game is played; how that your team is only allowed three outs in each of the 9 innings. But in the little that I personally played baseball (football was my game!)…

I have been blessed with the opportunity to see some amazing places in the world. Out of all the unique places I’ve seen and experienced in the world such as the North Slope Brooks range of Alaska, the Grand Canyon, the summit of Mt Rainier to name a few, the starkest place I’ve been to was the North African Desert in Egypt!  It was on one of our many trips to Russia that we chose to do an inexpensive detour…

We have officially begun our academic year teaching out of the Gospel of Mark. Last Sunday Alvin laid out a bit of an overview and some background to better get a grasp of this book. It is of course the 2nd of the four Gospels that we find in the Bible. It is often the least read of the four as well. But we are jumping in and I can’t wait. This Sunday I have the privilege of focusing on…