“Jesus reached for a little child, placed him among the Twelve, and embraced him. Then he said, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me isn’t actually welcoming me but rather the one who sent me’” (Mark 9:36-37, CEB). Sometimes I wonder if I have what it takes […]
Grace. The other day I was trying to make a left turn onto a busy road. A car stopped to give me space to merge. It was an undeserved gift. The driver did not have to offer me this space. It ensured they would get to their destination later than they would have otherwise. This […]
Patience is notorious for being a difficult virtue to master. It is said that what is needed to attain patience is the opportunity to practice patience. However these opportunities for patience are also opportunities for impatience. If, as an impatient person, I find myself in a situation that requires me to wait longer than I […]
The world is filled with distractions. If I want to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control – then inevitably distractions will arise that make attaining such virtues seemingly impossible. It is my desire to become a person who radiates the aroma of Christ, […]
Jesus teaches us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The psalms teach us to pray, “O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us! Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against […]
My go-to advice on prayer is “pray as you can, not as you can’t”. I did not come up with this and I have never been able to discover who said it originally. If someone has found a form of prayer that “works” then I would never want to discourage them. God hears and receives […]
The Local Pastor 