Category — What’s new?

A few days ago I experienced something rather disconcerting and embarrassing! I love to hike and spend time outdoors—the more remote the better. In the past I’ve prided myself in my ability to navigate using my internal compass and I rarely get lost.

I’ve been hiking lately on two ends of a large wilderness area and wanted to find a route to connect both ends in order to make this a loop hike. The first time I tried to connect the two trails I found myself in dense fog with no landmarks visible. After spending 45 minutes searching for a connecting trail, I had to abandon my attempt and go back the way I had come. [Read more →]

Five Tips to Get the Most from Reading the Bible

1. Always read God’s Word expecting to meet with him. Approach God’s Word relationally. Listen for his voice. What is he saying to you personally? What do you see from his Word that reveals God’s character and ways? Where do you need to align your life with his character and ways?

2. Set aside a regular time to read God’s Word. I don’t know about you, but I need the discipline of a schedule. It helps knowing that I always spend this time listening to and conversing with God. Self-discipline is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. We do not cultivate self-discipline by always being spontaneous or only reading and conversing with him when we feel like it. [Read more →]

Recently we challenged the men of our church to a New Testament read-thru using the schedule below. The point of the challenge is to get to know God better by spending time with him in his Word. And as we draw near to him and get to know him better, we cannot remain unchanged!

Already, men are reporting how God is meeting with them and changing them as they spend time with him in his Word!

Let me challenge you too, to draw near to God and deepen your relationship with him as you simply read his Word. If you’re not a reader or simply prefer another alternative to reading, check out the free tools for listening to the New Testament on your iPhone, Blackberry or MP3 player: www.sccprimed.org. [Read more →]

The letter entitled Hebrews in the New Testament offers numerous compelling reasons why we should (must) trust in Jesus Christ! Let’s investigate some of these reasons.

Before Jesus came, God had revealed his character and plan through the prophets. These men of God are renowned for their integrity and their exploits. Men like Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel come to mind. These are men we look up to, honor and emulate. They courageously and faithfully represented God before others. We still learn from them. But they were mere men. [Read more →]

A few years ago a friend of mine and I were hiking in the woods near Anchorage, Alaska. It was fall and therefore mating season for moose. At one point on our hike we heard a crashing through the brush and out trotted a large cow moose with a bull hot in pursuit. The cow was irritated by the bull already and seeing us on the trail only worsened her mood. So Ed and I veered off onto another trail to avoid this testy cow.

About 20 minutes later, Ed I were just cresting the top of a hill when here came that same cow up the other side of the hill toward us. In angry moose fashion, she laid her ears back, dropped her head, the hair on the back of her neck bristled and she began stomping the ground. Ed and knew she was not happy about sharing the trail with us and we were about to be chased! [Read more →]

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NLT)

We have adopted a culture in which we all find ourselves victims. We are told that we are victims of our upbringing, victims of our environment and even victims of our own emotions. We hear a husband lament, “I can’t help it if I don’t love her anymore.” Or after a serious burst of anger the angry individual excuses his behavior with, “It’s just the way I am!” Perhaps a wife threatens, “I could never forgive him for what he did.” And a child is heard to say, “I didn’t feel like studying.” Or, “I don’t feel like sharing.”

Don’t believe this victim mentality for a moment! Know this, a victim never wins! Never! [Read more →]

Whether you are familiar with A.W. Tozer or not I think you will enjoy the following. Tozer wrote the book The Knowledge of the Holy. Below is the first chapter of that book entitled, Why we must think rightly about God. This is my first attempt at bringing his early 20th century writing into 21st century language. His original work can be fairly tedious to read for most today. Please let me know what you think by your comments. Should I continue the project and complete the updating/editing of Tozer’s book?

The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer

Chapter 1: Why We Must Think Rightly About God

Lord God Almighty! I call upon you not as a god of our own making. You are the One revealed and proclaimed by the prophets and apostles, and best of all, by your own Son Jesus Christ!

Those who don’t know you call on you as someone other than who you really are. They do not worship you but a creature of their own imagination. Therefore reveal yourself to us that we may know you as you truly are so that we will love you and praise you fittingly.

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [Read more →]

The Bible is truly an amazing book that offers us a rich source of knowledge about God, wisdom, history, prophecy and right-valued living. In fact, when studying the Bible it’s easy to become lost in the depths, intricacies and mysteries cached there. The words of Scripture are aesthetically beautiful, intellectually stimulating and timelessly relevant.

One time Jesus was speaking to a group of zealous Jewish people of whom he acknowledged, “You diligently study the Scriptures . . .” On the surface this sounds noble and good. Yet in the same breath Jesus said to them, “You have never heard [the Father’s] voice . . .” (John 5:37 & 39) How is this possible? How can one read, let alone diligently study God’s Word without hearing his voice? [Read more →]

1. Recognize that marriage is hard work, so stick with it and give it your best efforts! When our kids were little we were having a discussion about marriage around the dinner table. Our older two children indicated that, yes, they wanted to get married some day. When we asked our youngest son (who was about six at the time) whether he would some day marry, he pondered that question thoughtfully and stated, “I don’t know if I’ll get married. Marriage is hard work! I think I’ll get a job instead.” Linda and I pray that it wasn’t our marriage that gave him the idea that marriage is so hard! Anyways, after the laughter subsided, we had to agree with our six-year-old psychiatrist—marriage is hard work! So roll up your sleeves and put into your marriage the work required to make it great! [Read more →]

A while back I was reading the account of Abraham again in Genesis. God appeared to him in his homeland and told him to leave and go to a land that he would reveal to him when he got there. Think of setting out on a thousand mile journey with your household, livestock and belongings on wheeled carts not knowing where you were going! I couldn’t help but see his walk with God as one big adventure. Paul calls Abraham the man of faith and I realized that a life of faith really is a life of adventure.

Webster defines adventure as “an undertaking or experience that involves hazard and requires courage.” My mind went to Luke 9:22-23 where Jesus called disciples, “And he said, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.’ Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” [Read more →]