'Luke' Tagged Posts
Beyond Nice
“Be nice to each other on the playground!” That’s a phrase that comes straight out of our school days. When I would go outside to play with my friends, my mom would frequently voice that comment to me as I headed out the door: “Don’t forget to be nice to each other!” The rules and the boundaries of my behavior were laid out for me at an early age. Why did my mother give me this instruction? Because she knew…
Humble Before God
“I am sure glad I am not like that person!” Have you ever had that thought? Have you ever said those words? Maybe you looked at a poverty situation, and even with a heavy and broken heart, you deep down were thinking, “I sure am glad I am not them!” The parable for this coming Sunday is a contrasting view of life between a well-put-together, humanly respected man (the Pharisee) and a person that had a broken life with layers…
Who is Invited to the Banquet?
Have you ever been invited to a party or asked to show up at a special event, but had to decline at the last minute? Maybe you were too busy. Maybe you got sick. Maybe you had something better to do that came up. Those are the essentials of the parable of Jesus that I will be teaching from this coming Sunday morning. We are in a summer series of messages we are calling Kingdom Surprises. This Sunday, July 19,…
Consistent, Fervent Prayer
I will admit that I am not the prayer warrior that I wish I was. I’m not really great at praying consistently, persistently, and with a great deal of faith. And yet all of these things are descriptions that the Bible uses to describe the way followers of Jesus should approach prayer. In Luke 18, Jesus describes the need for persistent prayer with a story about a widow and an unrighteous judge. In Mark 11, he says that whatever the…