A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills– where does my help come from?  2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.  3 He will not let your foot slip– he who watches over you will not slumber;  4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  5 The LORD watches over you– the LORD is your shade at your right hand;  6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.  7 The LORD will keep you from all harm– he will watch over your life;  8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (Psalm 121:1-8)

As many of you know, I am the father of three young children – Ryan (5), Will (3), and Nate (1).  When each of them was a baby, I used to put them down for bed at night by standing near the crib, holding them in my arms, and singing quietly to them before laying them down.  If you have children of your own, you know that it can be a challenge getting little ones to go to bed without crying for a parent to come and pick them up again.  One question that often went through my head during the nighttime routine was which approach would help them go to sleep more peacefully:  keeping my eyes closed while I sang to them, or keeping my eyes open.  For a time, I went with the eyes closed approach.  By closing my eyes, I reasoned that I was showing them by example that it was time for sleep. 

Ultimately, however, I settled on the latter approach – putting them down with my eyes open, looking them in the eyes as I sang to them.  And every time I did that, I was reminded of Psalm 121, Read more »

This morning was the memorial service for Eve Christie, a woman of great faith and prayer who was a long-time member of NewLife before moving to a different church in 2008.  Eve died last Wednesday of cancer at age 68, but she left a legacy of the power of prayer and the joy of trusting in the Father through even the most difficult circumstances.  One of the verses shared during the service was Philippians 1:21 – “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”  Eve’s life was most certainly about Jesus Christ, and praise God that in death she has only gained a greater relationship with Him. 

One of my most treasured memories of Eve had to do with prayer, of course.  Read more »

One of the highlights of my week this past month has proven to be Fight Club, the new men’s group that began meeting on Wednesday nights in May.  What a privilege it has been to see men sharing their lives and struggles with each other, encouraging each other with Scripture and from personal experience, and forming real friendships.  I have found that while there is a place for Bible study, there is also great benefit to beginning with our issues and struggles and then bringing Biblical wisdom into those specific situations.  One passage in particular that has ministered to our group has been Micah 7:8-9, which reads:

“Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD’s wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.”

This passage speaks powerfully to those times that we find ourselves having sinned against God and feeling like we are not worthy to be forgiven.  Read more »

This past Sunday, I preached about the gospel and personal growth, and how the deeper our belief in the good news of Jesus Christ’s death for our sins is, and the more we look to Him for our hope, peace, love, significance, and life, the more we have the power to overcome the challenges we face.  During the sermon, I briefly mentioned my lifelong struggle with time management and prioritizing.  I’ve tried every different system under the sun, put up motivational quotes and sticky note reminders, sought out accountability, installed deadlines – all with limited progress.  Why is this the case?  Do I just need to find a doctor who will prescribe me with a pill?  Have I just not found the right system?

Or does the gospel shed some light on what is really going on?

Let me use my issue as a case study in how the gospel helps us get at the root of the issue instead of just modifying behaviors.  Read more »

Whenever I am reading through the Bible, I always experience a sense of welcome familiarity upon returning to the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – that feels like returning home after a long trip.  As rich as many of the Old Testament books can be, they often require an understanding of the history and key people of Israel, as well as familiarity with the general scope of the Bible.  But the Gospels are familiar ground, the stories of Jesus’ life both beautiful and easier to relate to. 

This summer, beginning on June 13th, I’ll be preaching through different interactions with Jesus found in the gospel.  Read more »