My Lifting Journal

In 2011, I went to the Taste of Chicago with my wife and younger brother. The food was OK, but I was disappointed at how many restaurants there were with similar menus. Also, I always look forward to finding something exotic to try out, for example, a Cajun alligator tail filet that I’d tried several years before. So I was disappointed not to see anything like that. Jesus and/or the Bible Another…

Have you ever been disappointed with somebody? What’s a good example of a huge disappointment in Mark 9:14-29, even after 3 years of preaching, ministering to, and teaching the crowds, they all still didn’t get it: When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they…

Hey Andy, there is no record of Egyptians having the Jews as slaves and that there is no record of plagues! During the Roman Empire, only 10% of people could read and write. We know so much about the Romans, it’s not funny. Archaeology tells us that none of that happened. It has nothing to do with people writing anything down (even though that didn’t happen either)! I’m not sure where you got…

Hey Andy, how do I find true faith? I feel at times I’m just going through the motions. What’s the secret? Will fasting bring me closer to God? Will visiting Israel? Hi friend! How do you find True Faith? Well, true faith comes from trusting God (they sort of go hand in hand). But if you want to know God better, then the best way that I’ve come to know is by reading His Word (the Bible)…

Hey Andy, should Christians celebrate Valentine’s Day? Hi, wow, way to open a can of worms there buddy. 😛 Actually, when I was in seminary, a friend of mine shared with me a conversation he and his girlfriend had about this: He said his girlfriend told him that she didn’t want to celebrate Valentine’s Day because it’s not a Christian holiday — if anything, it’s more pagan. Saint Valentine’s…

The beginning of 2 Kings 18 starts off with Hezekiah succeeding his father, the most evil king of Judah, Ahaz. Israel was well known for having evil kings who had lead the Northern Kingdom into sin, but rarely in Judah (the Southern Kingdom). Ahaz’s father was right in God’s sight, “Nevertheless…” Ahaz’s grandfather was also right in God’s sight, “Nevertheless…” Just As His Ancestor David Has…

In Matthew 26:36-47, Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with…

In Matthew 10, Jesus calls together His 12 disciples, giving them authority to drive out unclean spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. In verse 5, Matthew names these 12. Remember, they were uneducated men, some were even sinners, but most of all, they were all Jesus’ main men. “These 12, Jesus sent out…” He says this as if to say, ‘No, really, Jesus sent out these 12 guys.’ In other…

Crucifixion of the King

I was just looking at the part of Mark 15 (:29-32) where everybody was mocking Jesus and calling Him “King of the Jews”, and noticed a connection to the Old Testament. I mean, yeah, everything about Jesus is a fulfillment of the Old Testament, but this part where everybody in Israel rejected Jesus as their king reminds me of 1 Samuel 8 where, though Israel had pretty much always rejected God as…

Who’s Your Master?

Romans 6:1-14: Shall we go on sinning so that Grace may increase? (“Hayl no!”) We’re the ones who have died to sin; how then can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the…

Jeremiah 24 – Rotten To the Core

Objective: Through the explanation of Jeremiah 24 and John 15:4-9, students will learn about the importance of “remain(ing) in Jesus’ love”, and that their choices of whether or not to do so can make a great impact on their lives, both for the good and the bad. Important suggestions: Best if on-site at an apple (or peach) orchard Also best if you’ve already taught on the soils in Matthew 13 Read…

Are Yahweh and Allah the Same?

Hey Andy, why do Christians say that Allah is not the same god Christians and Jews believe in? Muslims refer to the god of Abraham not to a different entity.  They just say Christians and Jews interpret god’s teaching wrongly. And Christians and Jews say the same about Muslims. But, after all, isn’t it the same God everybody is talking about?  Hi, the reason Christians say that Allah is not the…

How can the Wise be so Stupid?

Lately I’ve been reading through 1 Kings and the Gospel of Matthew. Today, I read 1 Kings 9, and you know, I’ve gotta say that for a man who’s known to be the wisest man to have ever lived, Solomon was really pretty dumb. I mean, here’s this guy to whom the Lord gave such greater wisdom and discernment for good and evil than anybody else ever in all of history, and than anybody said to come after…

The Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:25-29?

Hey Andy, what do you think of The Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:25-29? What is meant by this? Hi, there’s a lot going on here, but the basic issue was disunity among members of the Body, and not just when partaking the Lord’s Supper. Misinterpreting the Issue I actually got into an argument once with a Lutheran minister about this passage. I was visiting family in Florida (who don’t attend…

Jesus’ Selfie

When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It’s obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they…

Why Did David Fight Goliath?

1 Samuel 17:12-58 takes us through the story of David and Goliath, and what an awesome story this is, and fight it turned out to be, not only because of the contrasts between sizes of the people and the sizes of faith, but also because there’s so much to this event! For instance, some important messages from David and Goliath include: •    With God, all things are possible •    Don’t look so much…

The Rocks Would Cry Out

One day, some time ago, I was taking a nap–in my car. A Little Background My wife and I used to live in Newport News, Virginia, and she’d gotten a job in Chesapeake. So she’d drive out there during the week, but on most Fridays, I would drive her in order to free her from a day of driving, and this was one of those Fridays. The previous evening, we were up late, working (I was a Youth Pastor…