When Paul refers to Christ as “the image of the invisible God,” he is saying Jesus is completely and perfectly God. Paul is saying that Christ is God and is also perfectly human. (Colossians 1:15-17) Through Christ’s resurrection, He took the consequences of our sin and redeemed human nature. Because of Christ, we can be […]
One Sunday, I went to visit a family in the funeral home. While there, I saw many old friends. One in particular was a man who was burned very severely when his airplane crashed. He was in intensive care for a long time. One day, when I knew he was critical, I asked the church […]
More people make resolutions on January 1 than any other day. What will you resolve to do in the new year? Paul says in Philippians 4:11, “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” Many will resolve to lose weight or stop smoking […]
It’s Christmas week, and we have all eaten too much, unwrapped presents and probably will be happy to get into a slower routine as the New Year unfolds. We celebrate that God has come to earth and become a fellow traveler with us in a new way. Just as Mary placed the baby Jesus in […]
It’s Christmas time and we get so busy with the cooking, the decorating, and shopping that we forget why we’re doing all this in the first place. Sometimes, the people we love the most are lost in the hustle and packed schedules. Paul’s words in I Corinthians 13 are the most read passages in the […]
Carolyn’s mother (my mother-in-law) is almost 93 years young. She drives herself and is always trying to help someone. She goes to quilting every Thursday and visits people in nursing homes and hospitals. She is one amazing woman! This week, Carolyn and I visited Zion UMC in Yorktown. As we talked with people about investing […]
My grandson recently graduated from preschool. He is now in kindergarten. He was born with Alagille syndrome, which is liver damage caused by abnormalities in the bile ducts. This is serious. Silas has a feeding tube and gets more medicine than you and I take in a lifetime. As serious as this is, Silas faces […]
In college, I had a friend who I loved to be with. She and I had many of the same classes. We studied together and enjoyed being with one another. Exam time found us studying all night for a physics exam. After the exam we walked to our cars and decided to meet for supper […]
This week I thought about the text in Genesis 33:1-11, “But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.” Amber Guyger was sentenced to 10 years in prison this week for the murder of Botham Jean in 2018 in Dallas, TX. The […]
My father used to say, “All my friends have died.” Dad fought in World War II, and indeed before he passed away, many of his friends had died. I graduated from Duke University and from Methodist University, and it’s getting to the point that every time they send me a newsletter, they list people I […]