There is a great deal being said in recent days about Jesus being divisive. What is a stunning turn of events is that it is not being declared by people outside the Christian faith who you would expect to have a negative view of Jesus. Instead, it is being proclaimed by people within the church …
Category: Loving God
Loving Your Enemies
Several years ago, I wrote a book titled The Provocative God: Radical Things God Has Said and Done. The focus of the book was to address radical passages in the Bible that we have either become so familiar with that we fail to recognize their radical nature, or that, due to their radical nature, we …
Whatever Happened to Hope?
Do we live in troubled times? Of course we do. I don't need to give you a litany of the terrible things happening in our world. You see it 24/7 on your news feed, social media, and from the people around you who are sharing and passing along more of the same. It is a …
Loving People Jesus Style is Hard Work
What do we mean when we use the word love? Better yet, what did Jesus mean?
Worship and Justice
I made the mistake of asking a friend for some book suggestions related to the chapter on worship for the Provocative Christian Living book. He suggested a book that connects our worship of God to our doing justice for the poor, oppressed and enslaved. It was not what I expected but more than I could …
Provocative Bible Verses: Working at Your Salvation
The Bible is not nearly as complicated as people make it out to be. Yet, what I have learned is that it is simple enough that the least astute child can understand it's depths and deep enough that the most skilled of scholars can never fully grasp it's implications. This verse from Philippians comes to …
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What Would You Do If….?
I find it very interesting to consider "worst-case scenarios". A few years ago I even bought a board game by that name. (By the way, don't bother getting it. It became the fulfillment of it's own name) But thinking about the worst-case scenario recently I thought, what would the typical church going American do if …
Provocative Bible Verses: Mom and Dad; I Love Jesus but I Hate You!
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26 What in the world are we supposed to make of these words from Jesus? It seems to be a pretty clear and simple statement …
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Provocative Worship: It is NOT About the Music
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Colossians 2:17 One cold and snowy winter weekend a group of people from North Park church outside Pittsburgh went away for a retreat that focused on spiritual disciplines. The setting was a local convent that rented out space …
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Why Don’t We Love God More? part 4 of 4
Do you find yourself from time to time treating your sin as if it is no big deal, not as bad as some other people you know? If you do then you will fail to experience the full delight and freedom that comes from the forgiveness God offers. You will always carry around a hidden …
Why Don’t We Love God More? pt3
"Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from …
Why Don’t We Love God More? pt 2
The Great Commandment is not to love the Lord your God with a LITTLE of your heart, mind, soul, and strength, but with ALL your heart, mind, soul, and strength. It is a command to love God much, very much, as much as possible. But if it is true that people, who are forgiven little, …
Why Don’t We Love God More? Part 1
It is my contention that if we really loved God in a Great Commandment way, with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, then we would be living far differently from the way most Christians currently live. The strange part is that given the level of blessing and abundance that the church in the west …
Provocative Love: Why Believing in God is NOT Enough
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” James 2:19 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe …
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The Provocative Christian 