Luke 24:13-35 Two guys walk along a road lamenting about the death of the very guy who pops up next to them and they don't recognize Him as they carry on a conversationaboutHim?! I have always read this and felt like my Grandma did as she was yelling at her Soaps on the television (or the person in the horror movie who forgot to look behind the shower curtain).Come on! Ho...

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had preparedand went to the tomb.2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightningstood beside them.5In their fright the w...

46And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said,"Father,'into Your hands I commit My spirit.'"Having said this, He breathed His last. His name was Bob NearyBob owned and managed Neary's Funeral Home in Manasquan back in the 80's when I was a pastor at the Presbyterian Church where he was a member along with his family. Bob dealt with death pretty much on a daily...

Luke 23:26-38 Luke describes a bleak scene with Jesus' followers standing now silently by as the religious leadersstole His clothes, scoffed, sneered, and then mocked Him. They taunted Him, telling Him to save Himself, stressingif you're the King of the Jewswhy can't you save yourself? And Jesus doesn't save Himself but stays the course. None of us are Jesus, or even...

"I Didn't DO it!!!" was a line that would ring out in our house when I was a kid numerous times throughout a week... well maybe a day. Anytime something crashed, or someone whined, or anything bad happened you would hear "I didn't do it!" from some part of the house even if it was from the opposite side of the house from where the crash was! Sometimes I was the one who sai...

Today's reading began with one of the most provocative passages in the Gospels: "39Jesus went out as usualto the Mount of Olives,and his disciples followed him.40On reaching the place, he said to them,"Pray that you will not fall into temptation."41He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt downand prayed,42"Father, if you are willing, take this cupfrom me; ye...

Luke 22:19,And He took bread, gave thanks and brokeit,and gaveitto them, saying,"This is Mybody which is given for you;do this in remembrance of Me." 20Likewise He alsotookthe cup after supper, saying,"This cupisthe new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. I remember sitting in my seminary Early Church History class in 1978 with Professor Ross Mackenziea true Scot...

Luke 20:27-21:4 Jesus is talking to His followers about people who make themselves look good while they are living another life behind everyone else's backs. Then He looks up and sees a Widow giving everything she has. She becomes His next object lesson and I have to admit, these few verses give me major anxiety. The importance of the Widow is not the fact that she gave ...

A section of Wednesday's reading in Luke about Jesus weeping over Jerusalem upon His final entry into the city happens to have a parallel verse in Matthew Chapter 23. First here are two of the verses in Luke from today's reading: "And when he drew near and saw the city,he wept over it,42saying,'Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for pea...

Luke 18:18-30 The rich young ruler. This was another one of those passages I had read through and heard about many times in life as a believer. But isn't it so cool when God reveals something new and challenges us in a completely new way with something we've read a hundred times before? So this guy... he's a rich, young ruler of the day. He's doing pretty well for himse...

31"In that day, hewho is on the housetop, and hisgoodsarein the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.32Remember Lot's wife.33Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.34I tell you, in that night there will be twomenin one bed: the one will be taken and ...

I'm writing this email as The Offense Trap series comes to an end because, during these past few weeks, I believe I have been delivered from the trap I had been caught in for over forty years! It happened so suddenly and miraculously , especially because I wasn't even praying for it and I certainly didn't recognize that I needed healing! For all these years I blamed my h...