Intrinsically, we all understand that life requires sacrifices. We all must make tradeoffs here and there to support ourselves and our families. Sometimes, we don’t sacrifice enough and our decisions made in the moment come back as consequences later. We all understand this basic economy of life. However, why does it seem harder to sacrifice to the Lord than for our loved ones or ourselves? I think the answer lies in what we consider most real in our lives. It’s not hard to s

King David was a man after God’s own heart, but that did not mean he was without sin. After some poor leadership and sinful behavior, in 2 Samuel 15, David finds his son Absalom has won the favor of the people and David is forced to flee Jerusalem for a time. This had to be a very concerning and painful time, to be experiencing both betrayal and potential collapse of his kingship. As he is outside the city, the priests bring him the ark of the covenant, a powerful and sacred

1 and 2 Samuel tell the story of how David rose to be king of Israel and the downfall of Saul, the king who preceded him. Saul was chosen and anointed by the Lord but turned from God during his reign and reaped the consequences, eventually dying by suicide. In 2 Samuel 1, as David is beginning to be seen as the new leader of Israel, an Amalekite (the enemy) comes to him claiming to have killed Saul. In reality, this Amalekite is likely the one who first stumbled across the de

Last week, the nation prayed for Damar Hamlin and before our very eyes, in only a matter of days, he was healed. In studying the Bible, Old or New Testament, one can see events carefully orchestrated by God's will that result in a decision for those who behold it: will they give the glory to God or give glory elsewhere? What's more, one can sometimes see a juxtaposition of emotional outpouring: the visceral outpouring in times of great strife compared to the often lesser or n

Happy New Year! Many of us set new goals at the start of the year for our careers and health, but we often forget to give the proper attention to our spiritual lives. In the early chapters of Revelation, John records a vision of Jesus speaking directly to him an array of letters to various churches. These can be interpreted in several ways, but one way is universally for the church — as in, somewhere someone is dealing with something that Jesus words to these churches directl