Ruth. Quite a lady! Only one other biblical book is named after a woman. David, the pre-eminent King of Israel, was her great grandson (Ruth 4:13-22). Several more generations later, another of her descendants was this well-known character we call Jesus (Matthew 1:1,5). She played a key role in our redemption history, and her life gives us a lesson on how God nudges events in our lives for a good goal. But she began…
Read MoreBad News
Bad news has abounded of late, hasn’t it? COVID: with over one-half million deaths. Political division: where Christians question the faith of fellow followers who disagree on political issues. An armed mob at the Capitol. Immigrant families being separated at the border, still. Persecution for people of faith: with Christians and adherents of other faiths being imprisoned or killed for their beliefs worldwide. A culture that has abandoned a common morality. Hope for a better future seems pretty dim. So how do we respond? Some…
Read More
image by thereseimages.com
Slowing Our Spirit: Peace
In my lifetime of 72 years, I’ve seen the pace of life increase dramatically. Traffic congestion has almost ruined southern California. The cost of housing has skyrocketed, usually requiring two income families to make it. COVID and our partisan political divide add stress. Commercials and keeping up with others increase our obsession with having newer and better stuff. So how do we respond? We worry. We stress. The pressure overwhelms us. And that worry often pushes God out of the picture—it’s up to us to deal with all this. But…
Read More
image by heavy.com
Unseen Forces
November 5, 2017, a day that shook us to our core, both individually and nationally. A gunman invaded the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, TX, killing 26 people. Although out of town that Sunday, the pastor, Frank Pomeroy, gave a sermon the week before that gained wide coverage, “You Don’t Need Training Wheels, You Need Christ!” He taught on Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” His Harley parked in front of the pulpit, Pomeroy told how bikers need to...
Read More