In ancient Rome, sculpting was a popular profession. The market was flooded with sculptors, so quality was sometimes lacking. Less qualified craftsmen would cover their flaws and errors in wax, and frequently the customer could not see the cover-up. To compensate for this practice, authentic sculptors would mark their statutes with the words “sine cere”, which means, “without wax”. Today, we frequ...  Read More

Remember when Jesus told Peter that Satan had asked to sift him as wheat. Jesus had just told them that one of them would betray him, and they had gone from asking who that might be to arguing among themselves about which one of them is the greatest.Even as believers, pride can be the darkness that connects us to Satan’s underworld. We are no better than Peter or the rest of the disciples; we are ...  Read More

God’s value system is different from ours. For us the words "good" and "blessing" signify comfort and convenience and happy cir­cumstances. But to God the same words may signify character and virtue and integrity. We think in physical and material terms; God thinks in spiritual terms. To Him, holiness is better than happiness, character more desirable than comfort.When Jesus came on the scene he a...  Read More

C. S. Lewis talks about nearness to God in two ways: nearness of approach and likeness to God.          In Likeness to God, humans were created in the image of God. Through the fall, that image has been marred—much like an image is distorted in a defective mirror. We imperfectly reflect a perfect God.          Nearness in approach has to do with the state of humans as they seek God and find Him th...  Read More

Genesis records a wrestling match. It’s not really a smack-down or even a caged match. God shows up and wrestles a man named Jacob.Now Jacob has been self-defining his whole life. He has often taken things into his own hands to accomplish what he wanted. He stole his brothers’ blessing, tricking and conning it out of him instead of waiting for God to give it to him. Jacob was always working an ang...  Read More

The female angler fish can grow up to 47 inches long, yet the male only grows up to 2.5 inches long. The male is rarely larger than a man’s fist. These fish are found from 1600-10,000 feet deep in the Atlantic and Antarctic Oceans.          The male angler fish, when it is mature enough, connects itself to the female angler fish and is mated for life. It connects itself to the female with its teet...  Read More

God is holy and our sin separates us from Him. He cannot tolerate sin. He loves us, but he cannot embrace us as long as we embrace sin. The truth is, we deserve to be punished by God for our rebellion. It really stinks, but that doesn’t make it less true. We have a problem that we cannot, on our own, make right.I watched the TV in horror as the space shuttle exploded in a million tiny pieces. Ever...  Read More

God often takes longer than we expect. Judging by the way some of us pray, you’d think God was a cosmic bellhop just waiting for us to ring our bell so he could grab our bags and show us our room. We are so disappointed when we ring and he doesn’t show up.Abraham and Sarah experienced long waits, as did Moses, and Hannah, and most of the prophets. God often takes the long walk. For Him a thousand ...  Read More

“Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables.” John 2:15 (NLT) He sat down and made the whip himself. This was no flash of rage or impulse. But what was he so angry about?          Jesus, the man of peace, performs a violent act. Everyone seems bewildered...  Read More

Billy was raised in an angry family. Mealtimes were either silent or sarcastically noisy. They often ended in arguments and tears. He usually got yelled at if he spilled any food or drink on the table, of if he didn’t finish his food, or if he slumped at the table—it seemed as though he couldn’t do anything right.When Billy was about ten, he began excusing himself from the dinner table (as soon as...  Read More

Let’s not be too quick to despair because the world is turned from God and it seems like the bad guys are winning. Into a seemingly dark and despairing time, God choose to send his Son and offer salvation not only to those in that time—but those before and after. In the midst of a great darkness, God choose to shine his brightest light!We have all had times or seasons in our lives where the heaven...  Read More

“At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.” Mark 15:33 (NIV)           These are the last three hours of Jesus on the cross. From noon until three, darkness covered the land.          Jesus had been arrested and tried. Peter had denied knowing him. The disciples were helpless before the power of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the iron hand of Rome. Their Rabbi, th...  Read More