Ever since I was young and devoured the Hardy Boys mysteries books, I have loved a good...
My friend John is a fine pastor. He teaches God's Word accurately and applicably. He shepherds his flock with wisdom and compassion. He seeks to live his faith each day and does so...
In our translation, Ephesians 3:8 refers to "the boundless riches of Christ." The original Greek adjective, translated here as "boundless," is an...
Like millions of people throughout the world, I became a devoted fan of Downton Abbey. This PBS drama tells the story of an aristocratic British family in the first decades of the twentieth century...
Anytime you hear a noun followed by "of mysteries," you expect it to be filled with intrigue and excitement. Whether it's the "land of mysteries" or "the hall of mysteries" or the "department of...
In the first two chapters of Ephesians, Paul paints in broad strokes a picture of God's saving, unifying work in the cosmos...
As you may know, I was Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Southern California from 1991 through 2007. In my first years as pastor of this fine church, I had the privilege of being...
In the first-century Mediterranean world, people thought they knew where the gods lived when they were on earth. The gods dwelled in temples, holy places set apart for them and the rituals...
Do you ever get overwhelmed by the choices available to you? It's easy for us to take...
Have you ever been present when people become citizens of a country? Perhaps you were an immigrant who became a citizen of a country. Or perhaps you attended a naturalization ceremony in support of...
"Consequently..." Every time I hear or read this word, I am transported back to junior high school. I'm sitting in my ninth grade Spanish class, listening to my teacher say the word "consequently"...
One of the most common objections to orthodox Christian faith goes something like this: "My big problem with Christianity is the Trinity. This doctrine just doesn't make sense to me. It was made up...
When I was a young boy, one of my favorite photos was a picture of John Kennedy, Jr., hiding under his father's desk.
According to Ephesians 2:17, Christ came as the preacher of peace. When we try to unpack the meaning of this claim, we might at first think of the literal preaching of Jesus. He...
In yesterday's reflection, I began to answer the question, "Why did Christ tear down the 'wall' separating Jews from Gentiles?" Ephesians 2:1...
In the last two reflections, we saw that Christ tore down the "dividing wall" between Jews and Gentiles through his death on...
In yesterday's reflection, we saw that Christ destroyed the wall that divided Jews from Gentiles, thus bringing peace and making both groups...
On June 12, 1987, Ronald Reagan, the President of the United States, stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. In the speech he delivered to more than 40,000 Germans, the President...
Ephesians 2:14 begins with a bold proclamation: "For he himself is our peace." In context, the "he" is Christ, whose blood brought the Gentiles near to God and God's people (2:13). The Greek of...
When I was young, I loved superheroes. (Okay, I still do. I'll admit it.) I would sit entranced in front of my family's black and white Motorola television, watching the Adventures of Superman,...
