holy (300)

Ian

Red or White?

Genesis 18:16–33; Jeremiah 5:1–9; Romans 3:5–24 God hates me. God would/could never love me. God doesn’t care about me. No one can measure up to that standard. Any of those sound familiar? When we read stories such as Sodom and Gomorrah it is easy to…

Continue reading...
Ian

Fruit Basket

Daniel 3:8–30; Matthew 7:15–20; Revelation 20:11–15 Thinking about fire is often not comfortable. Homes burn. Forests burn. On the other hand, metal is purified through fire. Through that fire, many beautiful and amazing things are made. Just like in our own lives, fire serves different…

Continue reading...
Ian

Wicks Asmoldering

Isaiah 7:1–9; Philippians 4:4–9 Ahaz received encouraging words from God through Jeremiah. Jeremiah, often called the weeping prophet, was not exactly known for positive words. Ahaz, not altogether faithful, received a positive message. In many respects, Christians in the United States are like Ahaz. Far…

Continue reading...
Ian

The Sent

Jeremiah 1:4–10; Matthew 9:35–10:1; Romans 15:14–19 When confronted by a calling on our lives, often anything but, “yes,” will cross our lips first. This doesn’t mean, “yes” doesn’t come later. If you’re reading this, in some way you’ve already said, “yes.” The question then is,…

Continue reading...
Ian

Calling

Matthew 11:16–19; Matthew 12:22–28; Matthew 21:23–27 Authenticity is appreciated. Hypocrisy is condemned. That is nothing new. What is more, the issue than even whether something is called authentic or hypocritical is when something is declared such (either way). Both Jesus’ and John’s ministries could have…

Continue reading...