Greetings from Cebu City, Philippines! Today is Tuesday morning, and it is likely that by the time you receive this, Jill and I will be in Manila. We have been in Cebu since Friday evening. We’ve had a busy but incredible time. A Quick Update When we left Eugene on Thursday, our flight was delayed by almost two…
If you’ve been in our church for very long, you have heard me talk about long-term faithfulness. In my mind, Joseph is the first biblical case study of that. We obviously can’t miss the big story of why God put Joseph in Egypt. Joseph was there to provide for God’s people during the famine in Egypt. He was also there to bring Israel to Egypt, eventually bringing Israel’s growth and Exodus to the Promised Land. But Joseph’s faithful service, no matter where he landed. The Lord brought favor in leaders’ eyes each time—from the jailer to Potiphar to Pharaoh.
Talking about forgiveness is remarkably challenging. One of the daunting tasks for the pastor is to explain principles, knowing that there can be a variety of applications. Every situation is different, but the biblical principles are the same. And quite honestly, publicly preaching/teaching cannot get into every application. But it can give principle. That’s why faithful church ministry does not…