Reading:  Matthew 25:31-46 Dear Friends, Actions matter.  Not because they earn us anything or even because of what it reveals about our identity.  Our actions matter  because Jesus spends a lot of time talking about our actions, especially in the final days.  But these verses are not just about our actions, they are also about the […]

Reading: Matthew 16:21-28 Dear Friends, Matthew 16 is a turning point in the story.  We learn something important about Jesus.  He isn’t just the Christ, the victor, the one who conquers all.  He’s also the suffering servant, the one that would be tortured and then crucified.  He would suffer as a way of serving and […]

Reading:  Psalm 96 Dear Friends, When you think of God’s mission among the nations, what comes to your mind?  Career missionaries in Papua New Guinea?   Preaching stations in Africa?  Trekking through the jungle of the Amazon?  We often picture God’s mission among the nations as something exotic that happens “over there” somewhere.  Yet, it […]