-
When I was a Latter-day Saint, one of the stories I frequently heard to teach the need to follow church leadership and authority was the story of Uzzah and the Ark of the Covenant. In 2 Samuel 6, Uzzah reaches out his hand to steady the Ark as it begins to fall, and when he…
-
One of the most powerful and beloved hymns in the Christian faith is My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less. At church this week, we sang these beautiful words, and they struck me afresh: When He shall come with trumpet sound,O may I then in Him be found;Dressed in His righteousness alone,Faultless to stand before…
-
One theme that becomes impossible to miss as we read the Old Testament is that God is not merely reacting to history. The biblical authors refuse to let us imagine a God who simply responds to human wickedness as events unfold. Instead, they consistently present God as the sovereign Lord who rules over history itself.…
-
I have been wanting to start a weekly series highlighting worship music and the powerful scriptural truths these songs convey. My plan is to have a Worship Wednesdays post up each Wednesday. This weekend in Church a pair of beautiful lines in the song Who Else from Gateway Worship really captured my heart: “There’s a…
-
One of the most common critiques of modern evangelical Christianity, heard both from scholars like N. T. Wright and from Latter-day Saints, is that modern Christians are too focused on being in heaven with God and not focused enough on the resurrection and the new heavens and the new earth. This critique, especially from Wright,…
-
One of the most relatable moments in the life of David is the story of David, Nabal, and Abigail. It is a moment where David is treated badly and responds with anger rather than restraint. In fact, Davis is about to respond with violence and kill not only the man who insulted him, but all…
-
One of my favorite chapters in the Bible has long been Isaiah 6. This majestic vision that Isaiah has of the throne of God, where he sees angels singing, “Holy, holy, holy,” has always struck me. He is brought down to the dust in repentance, and then God cleanses him. It is such a powerful…
-
This morning, we all learned about the unexpected and sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham. A lot of political commentators will discuss his legacy and the complications of it, and I don’t want to add to that. I will note briefly, though, that I found the tributes from senators on the other side of the…
-
I was studying some of the history in Kings and Chronicles today, especially in 2 Chronicles while listening to a sermon series that a local church has been doing on the Kings of Judah. There are some really fascinating and powerful stories here. It’s a section of the Bible I’ve neglected and that truthfully doesn’t…
-
My youngest daughter recently performed in a theater camp production of Finding Nemo Jr. It was a delightful show that reminded me how much I’ve always loved the movie. One of my favorite scenes, both in the film and on stage, is the encounter between Marlin, Dory, and the sharks who are trying to become…