"...they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13b).Carriers of the presence of Jesus, Sanctuaries of the Savior, filled with the Holy Spirit and boldness they ministered to the lame, taught the ignorant worshipers and confronted the guilty religious leaders. Peter and John were different, majorly so, after Pentecost, and no one could deny it. The Spirit IN them made al...  Read More

Happy Father's Day!There is a time for mourning and a time for joy. Nehemiah 8 reminds me that though my heart may be corrected by the Word, though I will always stand in God's presence with a sense of His holiness and glory and the keen knowledge of the distance between who I am and who I should be, there are times that must be given over to celebration, to joy. Indeed, the joy of the LORD is my ...  Read More

Both Nehemiah and Acts remind us of the priority, privilege, and power of prayer. Our reading in Nehemiah begins with prayer (4:4 - indeed, the first thing Nehemiah does in response to the news of Jerusalem's predicament, is pray - 1:4f) and ends with a powerful testimony of the completion of the wall under great opposition: "...these tasks had been accomplished by God" (6:16). We know that Acts 2...  Read More

No doubt you have experienced challenges, trouble, and uncertainty, or unknowns that have driven you to prayer. I would venture to say that given the opportunity, you would testify to God's answers. He is faithful! Where God is at work, opposition arises. Those who do not understand for lack of experience, or those who are threatened with the loss of power, or position, often will react with mocke...  Read More

Ezra ends with exclusion. Acts begins with inclusion. Ezra's word is: "Come in!" Jesus' word is "Go out!" There is a place for both. In fact, one might observe in Acts that there was a 'coming in' before there was a 'going out.' That Israel's return from exile should have marked a new beginning for all was quite clear. Yet, some of the religious leaders, who should have known better, did the very ...  Read More

There is something about walking along the shore of a lake, or the ocean, along the bank of a river, that stirs up a spirit of contemplation. If I have a spare moment, I'll stop along the edge of Union Lake and reflect, pray, and re-center my day. In these summering days, on a Sunday afternoon, one of our great delights is for Rondalyn and me to take a walk along the lakeshore, or at the bluffs al...  Read More