“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life.” 2 Corinthians 2:15-16a Some of you may know that I had a very interesting job in high school. I sold cologne at the mall. Yes, I was that guy that sprayed cards and handed them to you as you walked by….

I just finished Divine Foreknowledge – Four Views, and have been processing through my thoughts on the discussion. The book presents four counter-positions on the topic of how much God knows the future (and how He does it). The book has four essays, one from each of the different perspectives, and then allows for each author to respond to the other authors’ essays. This creates a balanced discussion and helps us to remember that nobody’s salvation is hanging on this…

This weekend I preached on Ephesians 5:21-33 where Paul addresses husbands and wives. Verse 25 says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” So, in the context of the Church, we are the bride and Christ is the husband. Now look at verse 33: “each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” I think this verse shows the two…

Reading through Deuteronomy the last few weeks in Central’s Route 66 Bible reading plan has really caused me to appreciate anew what Jesus has done for us on the cross. Just before the Israelites enter the promised land, God gives Moses some directives to give to the people about their future. Deuteronomy 28 goes into specifics about the blessings and the curses that will happen if they don’t obey God faithfully. Read through the list and you’ll see how intense…

One of the things that was amazing to me about being in Egypt is how much of their history reinforces and further explains things that I’ve read about in the Bible for years. There were two areas where this really stood out to me. First, Egyptian culture in general. One of the nights we were there we took a boat trip around on the Nile River. We had a local Muslim friend with us and he was telling us about…