THE STORY OF JESUS: Joshua 6-9 “They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it…” (Joshua 6:21) I do not enjoy reading these stories, so much violence and death. The only way I can think of these horrors is through the horror of the cross. Our world is under…
Author: Norm
A heart for what matters!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 23:23-28 “You have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.” (Matthew 23:23) There are many times when I think we Christians lose sight of what really matters. Do we really think that how or when we do baptism really matters in the big scheme of things? Do we…
Multiplying mini-Jesuses!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 23:13-22 “You make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” (Matthew 23:15) I’ve never watched ‘Austin Powers’, but I have heard of Dr. Evil and his mini Me. His protege is a mini version of himself, a clone of his evil ways. Discipleship is the process of making…
Just plain Norm is fine!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 23-1-12 “The greatest among you will be your servant.” (Matthew 23:11) I am not a fan of people giving me titles, like pastor, or reverent, or worst of all dominee. This last one is a practice in my dutch tradition; the word origin is ‘lord’. The argument given for these titles is…
Humbled before the Lord!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 22:41-46 “No one could say a word in reply… no one dared to ask him any more questions.” (Matthew 22:46) Have you ever had a discussion with someone who strongly rejected God, Jesus, religion, etc.? They had their arsenal of arguments ready to attack, to expose it all as hogwash. ‘What do…
Does your face know?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 30 “You clothed me with joy that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.” (Psalm 30:11-12) There’s someone at the coffee shop who is very spiritual, but not a Christian. As a Jesus follower, I should want him to be like me, right? Thing is, at least outwardly he…
God is on Jesus’ side!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Joshua 4-6 “‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ ‘Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord.’” (Joshua 5:14) Many religious people believe that God is on their side. Nazi’s believed God was with them, Westboro Baptists are confident God supports them. God’s angel was not there for the Israelites,…
Stepping into the Jesus Way!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Joshua 1-3 “As soon as… their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing.” (Joshua 3:15-16) Notice that the flooding waters don’t stop until they step towards it. This is the step of faith, where we act on what God says contrary to what we see. John Ortberg was right,…
Rules of the road!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 22:34-40 “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:40) There are so many laws associated with driving, the ‘rules of the road’. The purpose of these laws is not to restrict us or hold us back. The reason for a speed limit is not to limit us….