Welcome home.

It is amazing how toddlers communicate their thoughts. If Anna Jean is talking about something she is about to do or a place she is about to go, she says that it is awake. If she is not able to do what she wants or go where she wants, she says that it is sleeping. For example, we drove over to Chick-fil-A one evening, not realizing it was closed that particular day. The building was dark. There were no cars…

I read a story about a man whose wife asked him what he wanted for Christmas. He didn’t want to come right out and say it, so he dropped a hint: “Honey, I want something in the driveway on Christmas morning that will go from zero to three hundred in six seconds.” His wife smiled and said, “I think that can be arranged.” On Christmas morning, the man woke up excited, convinced a brand-new muscle car was waiting for him.…

As we were riding down the road one day, Anna Jean and I were listening to the a cappella version of a worship song called “Gratitude.” If you have never heard the song before, one of the lines in the chorus that is repeated several times goes like this: “So I throw up my hands and praise you again and again because all that I have is a hallelujah.” This song reminds us that our words fall short in expressing…

This Sunday, as we continue moving through the Sermon on the Mount, our plan is to discuss what Jesus teaches about being great in the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 5:19. According to Jesus, we are to both do and teach what He says. His teaching, as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, should direct how we live and what we teach others. Thinking about this reminded me of a quote I have heard from several different individuals:…