Consider this

                  There are not many sure things in this world.   Invest your money and you could gain or lose.   Your favourite sports team may win or not.   Local weather says it is going to be sunny this weekend?   Better bring an umbrella just in case.   Most of life is defined by uncertainty.                 Therefore, it may come as a surprise that Paul says he knows a few facts that are unchanging:   “I am certain of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).                   Note the word “he” at the start of the verse.   ...

                  I love the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17).   It is so useful for teaching the value of courage, trust and faithfulness that it is found in virtually every Sunday School curriculum.   However, I do not believe that this was David’s greatest moment.   To find that, we must look a little deeper.                 For many years, Israel wanted a king.   After much debate, God finally allowed them to crown Saul (1 Samuel 11).   After a good start, it became apparent that Saul was not going to live up to his potential.   Therefore, God sent Samuel to anoint a new heir to the throne, a young man who had a heart for God: David (1 Samuel 16).      ...

                  This past weekend, family and friends gathered to celebrate my brother and sister-in-law’s 25 th wedding anniversary.    It was an informal gathering that had only one real goal: Hang around and tell stories about Kurt and Tracy.                   This was done not because we did not remember their wedding or anything else from the past 25 years.   We did it because stories are the language of relationship.   They remind us how much we care and that we are connected.                 It should not surprise us, then, that the Bible starts with, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). ...

               Last week, my brother and I went to the Indianapolis 500.   At the start of the race, one of the announcers said, “Today, one of these thirty-three drivers will do something that no one will ever forget.   They will win the Indy 500!”                   So, who won?   Do you know?                 Ok, maybe you are not a sports fan, so here are some different questions:   Who won the Noble Peace prize in 1979?    Who won the Oscar for best actress in 1940?   Who was the King of France in 1744?                 When I asked those ques...

                  When the worshippers approached the temple and saw Jeremiah standing at the gate, I imagine they expected a pat on the back for showing up so regularly.   Wrong!    In fact, God sent him with a completely different message.                 “’This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Reform your ways and your actions… Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!”   If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own h...

                  Like many families, we used to review our collective days around the supper table.   Typically, this involved talking about what went wrong, or the annoying things that happened to us.   It was depressing!   So, we made a change and said, “If you have a real problem, we will talk about it.   Otherwise, tell us something good!”                   There are not many areas in your life where you are in total control, but you are completely in charge of your thoughts.                   Therefore, I have come to believe that Philippians 4:8 is one of the most important verses for our day and time.   It says,...

                  In a recent TED talk, New York Times best-selling author Johann Hari makes the case that, “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety.   The opposite of addiction is connection”.                   While not denying the chemical and physical causes of addition, he states that, “Human beings have a natural and innate need to bond.   And when we are happy and healthy, we’ll bond and connect with each other.   But if you can’t do that – because you’re traumatized or isolated or beaten down by life – you will bond with something that will give you some sense of relief.   Now that might be gambling, that might be pornography, that might be cocaine, that might be cannabis, but you will bon...