Recently the Lord showed me a symbol that the early church had built directly into the architecture of their churches. It is a symbol that, I now believe, expressed the reality of our life union in Christ in a number of ways including the major patterns of biblical types. While searching for ancient examples I…
Category: Discipleship
Less Is More: The Gospel of Surgery
I recently had ankle surgery. Almost two weeks later I still can’t walk on that leg. I am in pain all day. Evenings and nights (OK, and mornings) are worst. My wife does everything to care for the house, our kids, and me. Sometimes, for long stretches, I can’t do anything but groan…
Revelation of the Lamb
Musings from my notes on the book of Revelation: “When He took the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb” (Rev. 5:8). At the center of all things—worshiped by countless angels, the elders, the living creatures, by all the great dignitaries of heaven—is a slaughtered lamb. ALL fall…
The Storm of Martin Luther
Martin Luther 1483-1546 A few years ago I decided to read writings by major reformers. I started with Martin Luther’s Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians. Luther dedicated his life to God while out in a thunderstorm. He was afraid for his life. History suggests that storm transferred into Luther’s soul. As the lightning rod…
It Is Finished
Image courtesy of Darrell Creswell http://darrellcreswell.wordpress.com/ This morning at church, it seemed like worship had a hard time getting off the ground. I don’t know if any of you can relate to what I’m saying. It just seemed like people weren’t engaging the Lord or His Spirit wasn’t manifesting much or something. I started praying, asking…
Seeing for Ourselves
My wife and I moved from Texas to Washington in March of 2000. Just before moving, we went to our Wednesday night prayer meeting. Someone was sharing about how Mary Magdalene saw the risen Christ and was sent to tell the disciples about the One she had seen (John 20:17, 18). As I listened, the…
Rabid Dogs, Snapping Turtles, and the Hope of Glory
When it comes to vacationing with small children, my wife and I agree: sometimes you feel like you’re surviving moreso than having fun. We just got back from a 2000 mile-ish round trip; there were times when even surviving was in question. OK, I’m exaggerating. But this is no exaggeration: At one point during the…
More than Perfect (Part 2)
Continued from “More than Perfect (Part 1)“ There are many dimensions to this story. In one dimension, Job pictures Jesus. Jesus was handed over to the devil and suffered immensely (Luke 22:53; John 13:27). Much of what Job says can be placed in the mouth of Jesus and reflects what Jesus felt as He writhed…
More than Pefect (Part 1)
Job was someone the Lord Himself described as “a man of perfect integrity” (Job 1:8). That’s high praise…sort of. Why do I say “sort of”? Because the book of Job is largely about the fact that God wanted something more than perfect integrity for His servant. For many of us, perfect integrity is the…
Buddha, Bahaullah, & the Other Jesus-es
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. […] They have eyes full of adultery and are always looking for sin. They seduce unstable people…
The Voice of One 