Understanding Love

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power . . . to grasp . . . the love of Christ. Ephesians 3:17–18 “That’s all it takes!” Megan said. She had clipped a stem from her geranium plant, dipped the cut end into honey, and stuck it into a pot filled with compost. Megan was teaching me how to propagate geraniums: how to turn one healthy plant into many plants, so I would have flowers to share with others. The honey, she said,…

It was a week full of extremely bad news. One deadly overdose, three relapses to alcohol and drugs, and a friends toddler fighting to survive cancer. Life is so fragile and fraught with difficulties. This is not how it was supposed to be. Jesus said “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV). When I look around at the events…

In an effort to give my brother and I a wholesome country upbringing, when I was six years old, my family moved from a lovely four bedroom home on a few acres in the Poconos that was built by my grandfather to our 77 acres of hunting land in Potter County, Pennsylvania. The mile-long “driveway”, which our Vermont relatives affectionately named the “goat path”, wound it’s way to the cabin at the top of the mountain (pictured above). It was one…

The battleground over racisms' ugly tentacles is continuing to dominate the political and social landscapes. With a backdrop of rioting and looting by anarchists and agitators that are simply opportunists, there lies the reality of a world at war. Spiritual war. A battle for the heart of man that Satan has whipped into a desperate frenzy in these last days. The voices are many and the messages predictable. It truly is a heart issue. Racism has been in existence since…

In the incredible, abundant blessings of Scripture and the Holy Spirit, God has demonstrated his longing for us to know truth. Truth is a powerful weapon against the schemes of the enemy. Truth has an ability to bestow confidence and freedom on all who find their satisfaction in it. And truth in the eyes of God is completely founded in relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. May God grant us a hunger for truth that is deeply satisfied in communion with our loving…

“We are all broken people, living in a broken world. It’s that simple. Unfortunately, no one is exempt from the effects of sin. The good news for all of us is that Jesus steps into the midst of our brokenness, is near to us and makes us whole in his love. What’s even more amazing is God wants to use you to see past the broken exterior to the hearts of the people in your life. Brokenness can often make us hard, bitter and difficult to deal with. But we&rsquo…

"You will appreciate the mastery of Jesus only to the degree that you understand the minefield he walks. He is advancing against the prince of darkness in a bid for the human heart. The whole situation is booby-trapped. Satan already has the upper hand—he took our hearts captive when we fell, back in Eden. Some he has snared through abuse, some through seduction, others by means of religion. Oh, how hard it is to rescue the human heart, to dislodge people from…

Laurence was in charge of the finances of the church. He was also a deacon. There was a great revival taking place all around him. It was said that ‘All of Rome were becoming Christians.’ As a result, persecution broke out under Emperor Valerian in around the year AD 250. Christians who owned property distributed all the church’s money and treasures to the city’s poor. Valerian ordered all bishops, priests, and deacons to be arrested and executed. He…

How do you react when you see people being hostile toward Christian beliefs? Do you let your anger simmer, get into an argument on Facebook, or just keep quiet? It’s difficult to know how to respond to those who show antagonism to our faith, but Peter gives us good advice in this passage. I Peter 3: 13-18 Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR…