Restored in Him

Listen ‘Transcendence’ and ‘immanence’ describe the almost paradoxical nature of our relationship with God. The ‘transcendence’ of God means that God exists apart from, and is not subject to the limitations of, the material universe. He is above and beyond, surpassing and excelling, greatly superior to us. On the other hand, the ‘immanence’ of God means that it is possible to experience his immediate friendship. In the Old…

One young woman asked me the following questions: ‘What will it be like in heaven? What will our heavenly bodies look like? Will we be able to fly? Will we be sexless? Will we be able to see the Garden of Eden? Will we recognize family and friends? What sort of friendships will we have? What will we do? Will there be Bible studies and Alpha? Who is the congregation?’ The Bible does not give the answers to all our questions. I have a book on my bookshelf,…

Listen Stuff that used to define us no longer has mastery over us. When you’ve relived those memories in episodic moments of healing through Jesus, it just doesn’t hold the same power over you. You don’t forget but you re-interpret. The healing journey is a series of discoveries. Discoveries of the lies that we believed about ourselves AND God. They make their way into our psyche through very traumatic moments. Research has shown that traumatic events,…

Listen We might think of Eden as the infamous place of mankind’s ultimate failure. But what happened there didn’t just ruin humanity’s track record—it also severed our relationship with God. Before Adam and Eve sinned by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:15-17), they existed in perfect union with the Lord. They walked with Him freely, unhindered in their ability to receive His love and love Him in return (Gen. 1:26-31). That&rsquo…

Listen When I was a little kid, I would try and imagine running to the end of a rainbow to find that pot of gold, wondering if I could get there fast enough before it disappeared. It looked so far away though. Was there a leprechaun waiting there too? I’d get on my bike and start peddling just in time to watch it disappear. Maybe next time I thought. How amazing it must have been for Noah and his family to see the promise God made, painted in the sky with the entire…

When we trust in Christ, we become children of God. By using this language, Scripture indicates the nature of our relationship with Him: He is our Father, and we should respond as His children. This means we must learn to listen, obey, and love Him more and more. The Father speaks clearly to us through Scripture. Many people claim they’re interested in hearing from God yet struggle to find time to read His Word. Then there are those who say, “I don’t…

Freedom is good; freedom is what you are made for.  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 We have been given the greatest freedom of all: freedom of heart, freedom from sin, a freedom that enables us to live and love as Jesus did. We can be free from: Bondage Sin The fear of man Shame Regret Rage Disappointment Addiction Fear You name it We are not only free from;…

The crucifixion of Jesus is the moment that Jesus’ ministry and the entire biblical story have been building toward. Through His death on the cross, the path is paved for human beings to be rescued from sin and reconciled to God. This is the moment when all of history pivots away from death and destruction and toward resurrection and new creation. Because it was on the cross that Jesus would come into His glory and win the decisive victory over the powers of sin,,…

In 1979, archaeologist Gabriel Barkay unearthed two small silver scrolls. It took years to delicately unroll the metal scrolls, and each was found to contain a Hebrew etching of the blessing from Numbers 6:24–26, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Scholars date the scrolls to the seventh century bc. They’re the oldest known bits of…