A Patch Won’t Do

In today’s reading, the followers of John were concerned that he taught them a life of self-denial, including going without eating as an act of self-discipline, while Jesus didn’t demand this of his disciples.

Jesus’ answer included three metaphors. The first was taken from their wedding traditions.

Wrestling For a Blessing

We crave God’s blessings. It is difficult to realize that some of God’s greatest blessings come through the “changing of our character” rather than the “changing of circumstances.”

That is what occurred between God and Jacob. A strange event took place during the night before Jacob was to meet with Esau, the brother whom he had so viciously hurt twenty years before.

A Transforming Experience

There are a few experiences in life that are unforgettable and life transforming. As we journey through life and reflect back on our own story, we can all remember those special moments that marked our life.

Interestingly, the text we are reading today is that one experience that Peter marks out in his own experience and wrote about it in 2 Peter 1:16-18.

How the Kingdom Grows

There is a beautiful inevitability in Jesus’ teaching in this passage. Light shines. The hidden is found. Seeds sprout. Sometimes to amazing and unexpected lengths. And the Kingdom does come, whether we think so or not.

It is quite easy, especially in the North American Church, to question the church’s relevance to our culture.

Read More faith, kingdom, transformation @en

An Amazing Glimpse of Glory

A trash city was the last place I expected to see God’s glory. Our missions team had just shown the Jesus Film to 250 people who live in a garbage dump in Mexico. After the movie, my wife and daughter and I shared our testimonies and invited these people to receive Christ. Hundreds came forward to pray with us! A local pastor prayed for many of them to be healed, and we saw people jumping up and walking after years of illness. It was truly amazing.