Author Archives: asimpleguy

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” –Luke 6:37 I am currently re-reading a book I first read over 20 years ago called Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness by Jerry Cook. It’s one of those books that challenges us to lookContinue reading “Forgiveness is a Choice”

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” –Ephesians 6:12 Years ago, our pastors in Newberg told us of a simple truth: “Nothing is personal, everything is spiritual.” AndContinue reading “People Are Not the Real Enemy”

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” –Mark 11:22-23 Jesus tells His disciples here that if they have faith in God,Continue reading “Faith in the Mountain Maker”

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” -1 Corinthians 12:4–6 I love these verses because they remind us thatContinue reading “God Will Equip Us”

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me… and you will find rest for your souls.” –Matthew 11:28–29 I read something from Eugene Peterson this week that really made me stop and think. He was talking about someContinue reading “Learning God’s Rhythm”

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:8 There are few words in Scripture more powerful than these. We were sinners. We had rebelled against Him. We had gone our own way. We did not deserve His love, and we certainlyContinue reading “God Loves Us Anyway”

“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits…” — Psalm 103:2 In last week’s blog, I talked about the danger of allowing our circumstances to make us forget what God has done. This week, I’ve been thinking about how we can keep ourselves from forgetting in the first place. And I think oneContinue reading “Don’t Forget to Remember”

This week, I read Psalm 95, and these verses stood out to me: “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.” -Psalm 95:8–9 These words are a warning—andContinue reading “Remembering God’s Faithfulness”

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” -Colossians 3:17 One of the easiest things for us to do as Christians is to divide our lives into different compartments. There is our church life—Sunday mornings, worship, prayer,Continue reading “One Life to Live”

“The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.” -Proverbs 12:15 We live in a world where there is no shortage of advice. Turn on the television, scroll through social media, listen to a podcast, or spend five minutes on the internet and you can find someone willing to tellContinue reading “Who Are We Taking Advice From?”