Several years after my initial descent into deafness, my charts showed an inexplicable suspension in its progression. I couldn’t hear any better, but neither did my hearing get much worse. My team of doctors couldn’t understand it. Mystified, they ordered test after test, trying to determine why my hearing loss seemed to be slowing down.…
Living the Blessing
We get it that many people today are spiritually homeless when it comes to a church or doing much with their faith. But the Blessing is all about getting to know and love Jesus — whose love and blessing we’re going to be living out with others. He modeled loving people well — blessing them.…
Jesus and the Blessing of Appropriate Meaningful Touch
Jesus was a model of someone who communicated the Blessing to others. In fact, his blessing of children in the Gospels parallels the important elements of the family blessing, including appropriate meaningful touch. Let’s look at Mark’s account of that blessing. Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the…
Blessing and Releasing Your Adult Child
“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.” —Numbers 6:24-26 One of the best things about being a parent is getting to watch your child grow up. That’s also one of the…
Receiving the Blessing
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. — Numbers 6:24-26 KJV In the closing moments of the Sunday morning service, our pastor raises his arms toward Heaven and calls down…
Applying the Gospel to Suffering
The Gospel of Christ’s grace deals thoroughly both with the sins we have committed and with the evils we have suffered. Somewhere along the way, some of us may have gained the mistaken notion that to address suffering means minimizing sin and capitulating to a secular psychology perspective on victimization. While I understand that concern,…
Jesus and the Children
Mark 10:13-16 It is unimaginable to picture a wooden faced, stoic, joyless and judgmental Jesus as He reclined with ragamuffins. The human personality of Jesus is underrated when it is perceived as a passive mask for the dramatic speeches of divinity. Such timidity robs Jesus of His humanity, encases Him in plaster of paris and…
10 Simple Ways to Bless Your Neighbors
One of the things I love most about the holidays is getting to do something nice for my neighbors. Oh sure, I could do it year ’round, but I am sorry to say that I really don’t think enough about it. Then the weather cools down, the Christmas lights go up on the house and…
What You Won’t See on Sitcoms about Children
Flip through primetime’s sitcoms, and it won’t take you long to absorb what our culture thinks about children: they drain your love life, your wallet, your independence, your patience, and your sanity. If there’s one message you probably won’t get, it’s the one God wants you to hear: children are a blessing. Yes, you will…
Your Goodness and Love Will Follow
All through the ages, Psalm 23 has been a favorite psalm. Every line is rich with meaning. The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. Trust Christ as your Good Shepherd—He promises to meet our needs. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He gives us rest and spiritual nourishment. He leadeth…