Something More

To Fear or Not to Fear

"I want to start by saying that holding on to both fear of God and casting out fear is not holding on to legalism and licentiousness. It is letting go of them both for something infinitely better...What then is this better way, and what does it look like?"

Upheld

"I want you to know more deeply than you know anything else that God absolutely loves you. He doesn't love you for anything you have done, save trusting in Christ. You can't diminish his love by falling short of his glory. He knows that change takes time, and unlike us, he knows exactly how long the change will take. He wants our obedience today, and he's not judging us today for last year's mistakes."

Heartbeat of a Lamb

"What do I mean by saying, “Life forever calling”?...Life itself has a certain appeal...But abundant life calls out with a promise of life being worth living. The richness and beauty of abundant life is alluring. This is the sound of the heartbeat of a lamb."

Redeem Us

"So, right now, we all groan with all of creation, longing for a day of re-creation. We are waiting for Jesus to open the scroll and claim back this earth...Jesus paid the title price for the earth and all the people it contains with his blood upon the cross. God the Father, the true owner of this earth, still holds the title. Satan only acts as a tenant for life until Jesus opens the scroll and inherits his kingdom."

Eternity's Hourglass

"I can see two fun directions to go in, and we’re going to explore them both: God as the creator of time and the history of the hourglass...Unlike the traditional hourglass which has a confined amount of sand within it, allowing you to watch its passage and estimate the time that remains, God’s timing is inscrutable."

Grafted

"The width and consistency of these bands can tell us about what the tree has experienced – seasons of drought or abundant resources; cold, harsh years or times of warmth; pests; overcrowding and not enough sun...Doesn’t it already sound like the human experience? We have seasons of faster growth and slower growth, influenced by the circumstances around us. Though drought and pests can slow our growth, we will keep growing if we keep receiving the spiritual sunshine of relationship with Christ."

Oh, Honey!

"Are you ready for a riddle? “Out of the eater came something to eat, And out of the strong came something sweet”(Judges 14:14). Any ideas?...Today, we’re going to take a look at the marvel that is honey. Where does it come from, what is it made of, and how is it used – both by bees and people?"

The Name of God

"In the Hebrew, Yahweh is written with just the consonants, YHWH – yod, he, vav, he. In 2016, I got to see Jason Gray perform live at the Waterfront Stadium in Grand Haven, Michigan, and he talked about the story behind his song, “The Sound of Our Breathing.” He was inspired to write it after learning that each of the letters was an aspirated consonant, pronounced with an exhalation of breath. Like all the rest of creation, we are all crying out to God even when we don’t consciously realize it."

Sweater Weather

"If you’re wearing a knit shirt right now, you already have a great learning prop handy. Preferably, it would be a sweater because the coarser the fabric, the easier the knit stitches will be to see. So, if you’re looking down at your shirt now, you can see on the outside that the fabric consists of columns of many little Vs of thread or yarn. Now look at the backside of the fabric – the inside of your shirt. You’ll notice there are many little bumps instead of Vs. You’re looking at the effect of knitting and purling."

Deliberate Love

"Have you ever decided to do something sacrificial and noble but had to wait a while for the right time? I find that can sometimes be harder than an immediate sacrifice. An immediate sacrifice doesn’t give me time to overthink and reconsider. But if I have time to ponder, I also have time to potentially reason myself out of it or lose my resolve or courage. God didn’t have that problem."