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Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seatedas much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish (John 6: 11). A couple years ago, when we got enough snow in North Carolina to build a snowman, I really impressed my kids. They were busy trying to pack and stack snow as I started rolling a small snowball in my hands. Then I started roll...
Keep Reading"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish,but how far will they go among so many?"(John 6:9) Food is life, and our lives revolve around it. Practically the first thing that happens to us upon birth is our mothers nurse us. We like to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We serve food at major life milestones: birthday parties, wedding receptions, baby s...
Keep Reading"Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward Him." (John 6:5) Newly transplanted to Houston in 1989, Scott and I somehow managed to get volunteered to lead the preschool choir in our large Baptist church. "You can do it," we were told. "You sing in the adult choir, you have a preschooler of your own, and, Debbie, you were a teacher" (well, college "kids").And then...
Keep ReadingJohn 6:1-15 New week, new month just ahead, and a new series begins! Let's go! During October, we're going to take a deep dive into just one chapter, John 6. Which means a deep dive into Jesus. John 6 contains the only one of Jesus' miracles reported in all four Gospels, the Feeding of the 5000. This is immediately followed by Jesus walking on the water. Next comes the ...
Keep ReadingMatthew 28:16-20The Great Commission Once upon a time in the Ozarks of MissouriI was coming home from work, and I drove through what appeared to be a "blizzard" of butterflies. As I made my way down the four-lane, there were hundreds of monarch butterflies crossing the highway. My mind had been otherwise preoccupied, so it took me a second to realize what I was seeing: a ...
Keep ReadingWhen the eleven disciples saw Jesus, they worshiped; but some doubted (Matthew 28:17). Wait, what? The eleven disciples Peter, James, John, Andrew, Thomas and the rest met with the resurrected Jesus and some doubted? Some of these eleven, all of whom had been following Jesus for several years, who had seen him, heard him, watched him heal the sick, raise the dead, walk...
Keep Reading"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28: 20). We've spent the last few weeks talking about some of the great heroes of the Bible. Esther, Josiah, Gideon, and many others all had their "Let's Go!" moment when God calls them to take great actions to help God's people. They did great things, lived great lives, and their stories came to aweso...
Keep Reading"Go and make disciples of all nations." Matthew 28:19 We've been listening to God's let's go: we're serving where we are, recognizing He's put us in a certain spot "for such a time as this." It's rewarding, we're being obedient, and our eyes are more open to opportunities right where we are. Now let's read Jesus' last words to His disciples:Go and make disciples of all ...
Keep Reading"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples baptize them teach them I am with you always" (Matthew 28:16-20). A new Monday, a new Scripture, and a last look at our current Let's Go! theme. We're on a mountaintop in Galilee. The entire "Jesus movement" consists of just eleven disciples. Their risen Lord has gathered them th...
Keep ReadingThe midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypthad told them to do; they let the boys live (Exodus 1: 17). It seems that so much of our culture is fear-based these days. Bad news is all around us. If you read the headlines on your phone or newspaper, you'll find that we're just steps away from catastrophe: Another existential threat is looming! And...
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