Tag: Kingdom of God

  • Enduring Soil

    Enduring Soil

    I’ve read the Parable of the Sower many times. I’ve preached on it. Heard plenty of sermons on it. Verse 15 hit me today. What struck me this time, in particular, was “endurance”. When you go back and re-read the parable, endurance makes sense. It may indeed be the point of the entire parable. Developing…

  • Field Placement

    Field Placement

    Psalm 145:10–18; 2 Kings 4:38–41; John 4:31–38 Flour has become a no-go for many people these days. The fight against gluten and carbohydrates is quite prevalent. Much of this has to do with how much our surroundings have changed. Most of us don’t need many carbohydrates. Those whose bodies are still their primary focus for…

  • Finer or Better Things

    Finer or Better Things

    Psalm 92:1–4, 12–15; 2 Kings 14:1–14; Mark 4:1–20 Every generation is in danger of not being as faithful as the one(s) that preceded it. There is, of course, the huge possibility that “this” generation (whichever generation “this” is) will restart a journey of renewed faithfulness. The church in the US—and so-called Christian Culture—is experiencing a…

  • Little Pieces Together

    Little Pieces Together

    Psalm 104:24–35; Joel 2:18–29; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11 Before churches had stained glass, there were two ways the church would decorate and—more importantly—tell the stories of the Bible (and the church) in pictures. The first was primarily on the wall and ceilings, and that was paintings. The second was primarily on the floor, but also sometimes…

  • Can’t Wait to Wait

    Can’t Wait to Wait

    Job 14:1–14; Lamentations 3:1–9, 19–24; Psalm 31:1–4, 15–16 “Jesus, 33, son of Joseph and Mary, was crucified and died yesterday. Survived by mother Mary. Wandering prophet who proclaimed the Kingdom of God was near. Performed miracles. Challenged the status quo. Caused the leaders heartache.” Even in our days, dying in one’s 30s is sad, but…

  • Seeing Well

    Seeing Well

    We often will look back on our decisions as if we could have fixed them, or even with the assumption that we are wiser now than we were then. “Hindsight is 20/20,” is a pithy saying, but even our hindsight may only be slightly better than our foresight.

  • Help Me Understand

    Help Me Understand

    Psalm 102:12–28; Job 6:1–13; Mark 3:7–12 The recent Super Bowl reminded me of the first Super Bowl victory of the Seattle Seahawks. Having grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area and experiencing the 49ers and the Raiders, a Super Bowl championship was exciting, but not region-stopping. Super Bowl XLVIII was a disappointment in gameplay,…

  • Wolves Invisible

    Wolves Invisible

    Psalm 62:5–12; Jeremiah 20:14–18; Luke 10:13–16 Do you know the story of “The Boy Who Cried, Wolf”? The shepherd boy who falsely cried “wolf” so many times that after some time no one would come to his aid. Of course, as the case with moral tales, the real wolves came, he cried “wolf”, and no…