Because I love fishing I've been thinking about John 21 recently. This great chapter, which takes place a week or more after Jesus’ resurrection, recounts Jesus’ restoration of Peter. But the whole scene is set in the context of Peter and several disciples having gone...
Grace, not guilt, is what should drive us to spiritual disciplines. You see, when it comes to spiritual disciplines, it is easy to slip into guilt mode. We mistakenly let a low-grade guilt drive us to practice spiritual disciplines and think that if we just do enough...
I’ve been reading a fantastic book, which was referenced in the National Gathering, titled Tempered Resilience by Tod Bolsinger. The book lays out that leaders in the face of rapid change need to develop the strength and flexibility of tempered steel. We can’t afford...
Many of our problems come from confusing these two types of time. Abram and Sari confused chronos and kairos when it came to God’s promise of a child. The result was Ishmael but at the kairos, at the right time, Sarah gave birth to Isaac. I’ve been thinking about this...
When St. Augustine wrote the book in the 5th century, Rome was falling. As Rome fell, many came to St. Augustine and asked where God was in all of it. By this point in history, Christianity was the official religion of the empire, so for Rome to fall to pagan...
Elder Mike Robison Mike Robison and his wife, Margie, were attracted to First Presbyterian some five years ago by the church's commitment to global missions and by the numbers of serious followers of Jesus. Mike spent nearly thirty years with Woodrow Wilson...
The start of a new year always tugs our thinking both backwards and forwards. We reflect on 2020 with its hardships and blessings, and we look forward to 2021 hoping for an easier year and perhaps setting some goals. This is both natural and healthy, but what I’m...
Billy Craig Reaching The Unreached: Becoming Raiders of the Lost Art by Peyton Jones This book provides numerous ways and strategies to help the church reach the unreached. My prayer is that those who read it at First Pres can read it with a lens of what it would look...
The combination of anticipating lighting the “joy” candle in our advent wreath on Sunday and reading an excellent reflection titled “The Weary World Rejoices” has me thinking a lot about how to cultivate joy in the midst of our weary, waiting world. Joy, as you will...