Posts from October 2024
Jesus Heals AND Forgives!
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…
The “Word” (Part II)
Read Part I If the Word does not refer to God’s spoken words out of his mouth, then what does it mean? To rephrase the question, what was the Logos to John’s audience in the 1st century? If I remember anything from high school world history, it is that by the 1st century, the Greek absolutely loved philosophy. They were philosophers. If they were not philosophers, they were philosopher-wannabes. This explains why you and I still remember there were those…
GIC 2024 Followup
We have just completed our GIC week at LifeWay. This was our 13th year to take not only a week, but several weeks leading up to it. As I have said many times recently, this GIC that we began so many years ago has truly shaped the DNA of our church. I am proud of this of course as it was by design, but I feel that the job is in no way finished… it is now just stretched into…
This is Why I Have Come
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…
The “Word” (Part I)
If you didn’t know this yet, one of Billy’s favorite verses, if not his favorite verse in the entire Bible, is John 1.1. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Billy loves to preach on this verse especially during Christmas time, and if I were to take a guess, he is about to do it again in a few months. I love John 1.1 too. I think it is one…
At the Heart of Why God Put Us Here on this Earth
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…
Principle of the Harvest
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…
What Must I Do to Prioritize as a Farmer?
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?…