Last week, we discovered that Jesus’ command to “Love your neighbor as yourself” wasn’t a new command, but rather Jesus was quoting from the book of Leviticus. Let’s look at that passage in Leviticus: “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:18 The question that jumps into my …
Mr. President, Dr. Biden, Madam Vice President, Mr. Emhoff, Americans and the world: When day comes we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade? The loss we carry, a sea we must wade. We’ve braved the belly of the beast. We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace. In the norms and notions of what just is …
Have you ever wondered what Jesus meant when he commanded his followers to “love your neighbor as yourself”? I have. Some questions come to mind: What does “love” mean? Who is my “neighbor”? What does love my neighbor “as myself” mean? I hope to answer those questions and more in a series of articles addressing this commandment. Let’s start with …
Grace & Peace, As the clock rolls over to a new year I would like to share a few reflections regarding the year 2020 for the Dazet family. As we began 2020, it was a year full of hope. We were filled with joy and loved our life in Muncie. We were 90 minutes from Rebecca & Jacob (Columbus, Indiana) …
Luke 9:51-62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62) Why did Jesus say to the would-be disciple that he can’t go take care of his family? Jesus seems to be alluding to a story from 1 Kings 19:19-21 when Elijah saw his …
Philippians 3:14-4:3 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20) “We are citizens of heaven”, says the Apostle Paul in verse 20. Many people believe that Paul is talking about going to heaven when we die, however, that is not what he is talking about. In order to …
Philippians 3:7-14 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Phil. 3:8a) What do you value most in your life? Paul uses the accounting terms of profit and loss in verse 7 to compare his former values to his current values. Formerly, Paul’s identity as a Jew and his …
This year has been crazy for everyone. For my family, we are dealing with the loss of our first grandchild, God calling us to a new church in a new denomination in a new city, and now we are providing care for a close family member who is in a fight against cancer. And personally, I struggle with depression and …
When I read the story of the birth of Jesus, I am astounded that the God of the Universe would become a baby. Why did God enter into our reality through the painful and vulnerable path of childbirth? I held my wife’s hand four times during childbirth. Three times led to Rebecca, Jacob, and Micah. The fourth time was during …
For well over a decade I have been dreaming about a toolbox and training experience that would deliver something very special to any follower of Jesus. What is that something special? It’s the ability to really grasp the trajectory of one’s Ephesians 2:10 “good works”—what believers for centuries have called vocation or specific calling.