The gates of Zion

“The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob” (Psalm 87:2 NIV). “Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep’” (John 10:7). What a wonderful time we had in Israel this past summer! Robin and I learned so much in the land of the Bible.

Meditation on the Mount of Olives

“But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them” (John 8:1-2 NIV). This Sunday I’m preaching from John 8 where Jesus made his second “I AM” saying. John begins the chapter by clearly describing the

On sabbatical

“The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, ‘Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.’ He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So

No not Nineveh!

“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,  ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’  But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of theLord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it,

The upside-down, inside-out effect of the gospel

“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17 ESV). “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’” (John 3:3 ESV). “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up