A human hallelujah! God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.   Genesis 1:27 This is how it begins, in the beginning when God creates the heavens and the earth. Light, the expanse of space and earth, land and sea, vegetation, sun, moon, and stars; the creatures of sea, sky, and earth. By the end of the sixth day God creates us — humans —  in His image, male and female. And looking out over all He created God declares all of it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). God is pleased with all He has created, quite content, delig ..read more

Father loves you. If you ever call me and I don’t answer you will hear my voicemail message, “Father loves you all day long.”  Friends have shared with me they hang up and phone me again to hear me say, “Father loves you all day long.” We all have a deep longing for a father’s love.  Jesus expresses a longing for us to experience the same love He received from His Father.  John 17:25-26, Luke 10:22  Jesus’ relationship with God as loving Father is a revelation of God’s love for us. We are learning how to receive love like Jesus received love from the Father. Jesus delighted ..read more

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.      Acts 2:42 We live out the resurrection life of Jesus dwelling in us by the Holy Spirit as His gathered body, the Church. This description of the  Church from Acts 2:42 reveals some simple and significant traits. The first three traits are revealed in the opening line. They… resurrection life is a group life, a communion and community life. Such a life in Christ is what Church is about. The original language word for Church means: a gatheri ..read more

I, Peter, am an apostle on assignment by Jesus, the Messiah, writing to exiles scattered to the four winds. Not one is missing, not one forgotten. God the Father has his eye on each of you, and has determined by the work of the Spirit to keep you obedient through the sacrifice of Jesus.  May everything good from God be yours!  (1 Peter 1:1-2) Peter describes our situation today quite well: exiles, scattered… and chosen! Not much has changed in regard to the circumstances of the followers of Jesus. We live in a world which readily reminds us that we are exiles — we are not in our ..read more

Winter will have its way… but still the spring comes. Winter is a fitting time to consider that until spring comes, all remains dead, dormant. The bulbs and buds long for the spring warmth and rains to waken them. The brown hues linger on, the temperatures chill. A fitting season indeed to consider that we too are dead and dormant, lingering and chilled, or as Paul writes, “You were dead in your trespasses and sins…” (Ephesians 2:1). And yet that is not how the story ends. As resurrection people we enter this season not as if once again dead or dormant but to remember — to be stirred — that we ..read more

The Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood. John 1:14 (The Message translation) Since moving into our neighborhood nearly three years ago, at least 5 more neighborhoods have been built and occupied within a two-mile radius of our home.  While such rapid growth is a challenge, for the Church it creates wonderful opportunities to be the Word in flesh, to be the grace and truth of Jesus Christ to many others. God has planted Peace in His neighborhood, this prairie corridor for the purpose of joyfully sharing His Word and the Peace of Jesus Christ. God also has each of us in His ma ..read more

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.  Genesis 1:3-4 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overpower it. John 1:5 In both these texts the opening lines are, “In the beginning…”. John is the echo of Genesis through the millennia, hearkening us back to both our origin and our eternal future — both involving, you guessed it: God. And both having to do with the Light which God first creates and then causes to dwell within us. As Jesus and His word declares: “In Hi ..read more

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”    Matthew 1:23 These timeless words were first spoken by the prophet Isaiah over 700 years before the angel visits Joseph. And then nine months of waiting for this Hope to be born. Then the waiting as this child would grow. At 12 years, Jesus would get left behind in Jerusalem, to be found 3 days later in His Father’s house. Another 18 years and His earthly ministry. Three and half years of preaching, healing, teaching, loving, forgiving o ..read more

Thankfulness is God’s Remedy for spiritual amnesia Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Mint Evarist” I was in Togo, West Africa in September of 2010 with a missionary couple. We spent nearly two weeks with native missionaries doing outreach in villages in the region. Being harvest time, we would do the outreaches in the evening.  On this particular night, we traveled about 30km to the village of Kwadenyere. I rode on the back of Evarist’s motorcycle. Along the way the headlight on our bike kept failing, and yet the skies above were cle ..read more

climb a tree So Zaccheus ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, for He was about to pass through that way.                                                             Luke 19:4 Climbing a tree, typically reserved for the young and young at heart has something to reveal to us ..read more