When I was a kid, a singer by the name of Dan Whittemore gave concerts at our church. Some of the songs stuck in my mind and heart and one of them was called, “Walkin’ Sinai” written by Alfred Poirier in 1974. The chorus was, “'Go on and take another lap around Mount Sinai, til you've learned your lesson, Til you stop your whining and you quit your rebellin', Til you learn to stand in your day of testing, by trustin' and obeyin' the Lord.”  Read More

Soldiers long for home. They long to be with their loved ones, to be at peace and rest. The Apostle Paul is facing trial and possible execution which might seem to be the worst of outcomes, but the truth is that death for Christians is a homecoming. The love we have for Christ and in Christ is made complete when we are with him forever.  Read More

I helped lead the memorial service today for my friend Rob. He became a follower of Jesus in the past three years and I got to see the wonder and joy he experienced as his relationship with God grew and impacted all the areas of his life. He was a changed man!  Read More

Paul is emphatic about rejoicing. It is his true eagerness and happiness to see the message of Jesus preached. He is encouraged by the Philippians’ prayers and the Holy Spirit strengthening him to face imprisonment, trial, and even death. As Christians, who do we identify most with in our lives?  Read More

Often suffering brings clarity. Many of the things on which we focus our time and attention end up being frivolous and a waste of our life energy. Paul, as he sits in prison, is not unaware of the conflicts around his apostleship and leadership in the Church, but he has clarity regarding what matters.  Read More

The other day as I was running late to get to an appointment, the car in front of me kept swerving and then slowing down abruptly. I tried to get around them, but the traffic wouldn’t let me. After several minutes, I found myself strangling my steering wheel and blurted out, “Oh c’mon! Just get out of my way!” I thought to myself, “I’d be doing fine if it wasn’t for this person in front of me.” And then it hit me...the person in front of me. That’s precisely the person that I’m called to love.  Read More

Grace messes with our neat and tidy equations and categories. Here's what I mean—Think about who wrote the above verses. It was the Apostle Paul. Now, if you've been in the church for awhile we think of Paul as the i...  Read More

For mutual intimacy and reconciliation to occur in a relationship there needs to be honest confession and real forgiveness. It's the same with our relationship with God. How do you restore your fellowship with God?   Read More

What is the difference between religious moralism and Christian sanctification? In other words, how do you take your actions and behavior seriously without becoming all legalistic about it? I once came across the following story that really helped me in trying to answer this question. One day after a church service had ended, a gentleman approached the late Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones with an urgent question.  Read More

It is easy to get confused with all the complexities of life. Paul keeps the main concern for the Christian life in clear focus. In this case it is the defense of the good news. His first concern is that the truth about Jesus is clearly shared, preached, and proclaimed.  Read More

Paul gives a great example of leadership as he focuses on what God called and equipped him to do. His encouragement to the Philippians is coupled with his disclosure of hardship. You can imagine people thinking his imprisonment would crush him, but Paul’s orders come from a higher source and his imprisonment is an assignment.   Read More

In May of 1940, Winston Churchill addressing the House of Commons stated, "I say to the House as I said to ministers who have joined this government, I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.”   Read More