How Far Will You Follow?

When we moved back to our hometown of Temecula some years back, we enjoyed savoring the flavors of local churches. Some pretty large, some pretty small, some in the middle, but the message at Oakstone Community Church caused me to think. Quite a bit. The text began with 2 Timothy 1:1, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God…” but then the pastor pointed out the difference from Paul’s first letter to Timothy, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the command of God…”

A change of just one word, but…

Read More

Call Me Onesimus

In a recent conversation with God about some significant health issues I said, “You’re God, I’m not. I’d love to live long enough to take care of Sheila (my wife), and to write the family historical novel. I’m basically asking, keep me here as long as I’m useful to you and others for your purposes. Just do what you know is best.”…That prompted another thought. If God kept us alive as long as we’re useful to him, how long would we live? That led to another: what does it mean to…

Read More