The Bittersweetness of Advent & Genesis 3

"Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet. The more bitterness we taste in sin, the more sweetness we shall taste in Christ." - Thomas Watson in The Doctrine of Repentance This Advent season our church has been tasting the bitterness of the beginnings of sin in Genesis 3. Why all this focus on the …

Losing My Power

As I've reflected on John's record of Holy Week, I've wondered: What will I have to lose if I submit to King Jesus?  What will have to die if I am to live in the Kingdom He bought for me with His blood?  Several clues in the context of this story have convinced me that I …

Losing My Place

On that first Palm Sunday Jesus' disciples and crowds of fans cheered His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As they raised palm branches and shouted "Hosanna!" to their soon-to-be King, their expectations for a restored Kingdom of David rose in their hearts. Hoping to hear Jesus say "We're tired of not winning. From now on we're going …

Not What I Want, But I What I Needed

Shane and Shane (my favorite Christian band) captured perfectly both the attitude of those Palm Sunday Jerusalem crowds and the me-first bent of my own heart in their song “Crucify Him” . . . “I sing Hosanna when I want it all Then I crucify the Son of God ‘Cause He isn’t who I always thought …