Do you struggle with doubt? If so, you’re in good company. Even more importantly, it doesn’t seem to bother Jesus. He can handle it.
The reality of doubt surfaces in two of the Gospel stories about Jesus. Both John and Matthew include the record of doubting disciples as they set down the story of Jesus and his disciples.
Read More doubt, questionsI love the unrestrained thrill of roller-coasters with their gut-wrenching twists and turns, their surprising lurches and flips. I am game to strap myself into the wildest of rides, tamping down the fear that always insists on coming along.
Had I been present with the disciples on this day described by Luke, I think I would have met my match in roller-coaster living.
Read More fear, promisesIt often seems to me that Thomas has two strikes against him. First of all, he wasn’t actually with the other disciples when Jesus appears to them after his resurrection. Secondly, he wasn’t one to cover up his doubts. He spoke them out loud.
“Show me the evidence,” he says to his friends when they excitedly tell him they have seen Jesus, that their Lord was truly alive.
Read More questions, doubtThe urge to compare ourselves to others is rooted deeply in the human condition. It shows up in thoughts like these: If only I could speak as well as her…. I wish I could sing like him….Oh, to be so gifted at hospitality…or art…or writing. The list goes on.
In this seaside encounter, the resurrected Jesus goes immediately to the heart of the matter.
Read More comparison, follow Jesus, lead othersDo you have stories about life with Jesus? I do. I have been following Jesus for more than 40 years. I have stories.
That’s why it makes sense to me when John ends his Gospel with the disclaimer that he has not said everything possible about Jesus; that he, as the biographer, has not set down every miracle, every conversation or every encounter with his subject.
Read More storyThe disciples are momentarily immobilized. Jesus has just given them a monumental command, one that, seemingly, has no limits.
“Tell everyone about me,” he says. And by everyone, he means everyone in the world – not just Judea, which is home to his disciples. Not even just Samaria, which is hardly home, but at least nearby.
Read More Holy Spirit, witnessingYears ago, when I was working as a Campus Minister in Berkeley, California, my team faced a dilemma. We needed a leader for a small group of students and a young man’s name was proposed who did not seem experienced enough for the task.
My team prayed over this dilemma and, one by one, each came to the same decision:
Read More obedience, dilemma, praying in unityDid you know that the largest student movement in the world is comprised of followers of Jesus? Spanning more than 154 countries, this movement is diverse in size, ethnicity, culture and language.
Called the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, this movement is just one of the many ways Peter’s sermon and Joel’s prophecy has been realized in our world.
Read More Holy Spirit, missionLived in its fullest and most rewarding way, the Christian life ought never to be boring. Rather, it ought to be full of adventure, joy and peace … and also hardship, sacrifice and risk.
As he finishes his Day of Pentecost sermon in Jerusalem, Peter wants his listeners to understand the depth and breadth of life with Jesus.
Read More promises, God’s faithfulness