[This is an excerpt from a sermon I recently preached.] Later on Jesus would grow up and he would tell this story that helps us understand the joy, the magic, and meaning of Christmas (Luke 15:11-32) . There was once a wealthy man who had two sons. His youngest son

Jesus tells us both to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44) and to love our neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40). I have spent a lot of years wrestling with what is the faithful thing to do when the two commands come into conflict. In violent confrontations is it right to use force to

“Love” is used in so many ways by so many different people it would seem like it can mean almost anything. If it can mean almost anything depending on who is using it and how they are using it, then does it really mean anything? Is such an important word

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. – 1 John 3:16 I love God because God first loved me I love God because when I was so incredibly lonely and hurting God gave me the most incredible wife, companion, and friend.

In the last post I briefly explained Bernard of Clairvaux’s four degrees of love. I love this model, not just because it expresses how Christians grow in faith and love, but more so how God meets us where we are and leads us toward being more free, alive, and mature

Twelfth century monk, Bernard of Clairvaux developed a helpful model for expressing how Christians (can) mature in their faith – the four degrees of love. Loving yourself for your own sake (Selfish Love) Loving God for your own sake (Dependence Love) Loving God for God’s sake (Intimacy Love) Loving Yourself

A couple of years ago my wife Carrie was driving through our neighborhood with several black teenagers in her minivan – mostly boys I believe. They were all friends of ours and part of our church. As they drove past a patrol car, the officer inside looked at them, pulled

We Praise you God… Because there are things in our life and inside of us try to steal our joy, and our peace, and our confidence in you. We know God that if we don’t praise you, worry, fear, bitterness, and indifference will rush into the places in us that

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 God fill me with your Spirit God fill me with your love Help me to love myself Help me to love others Help me

Several people have asked for a copy of the blessing I give on Sunday mornings at the end of the services in which I preach, so here it is. I hope it is a blessing to you. Someday I might be courageous enough to tell you why I wrote it.