The nearness of death fills the room, yet somewhere there is the joy and promise of a new beginning.
All by Justin Simmons
Humbling Ourselves for the One Who Humbled Himself
It’s easy to fall into a judgmental approach toward groups like the scribes and the Pharisees. Could some of the criticism Jesus levels at them could be just as easily leveled at me?
We Can't Handle the Truth!
We have to want the truth regardless of what it costs us, regardless of what we might have to sacrifice, regardless of how it is going to change our life.
The Loneliest Number
Ministry, whether it be as a profession or as the call that comes to each follower of Jesus, can be a lonely business. We don’t like being alone—or more specifically, we don’t like being singled out.
Sacred Places: In Search of Ebenezers
There are two ways of discovering the places that are sacred in our life. One is a church, and the other is to have places designated as sacred for us because of the way God makes himself known there.
Who’s the Boss?
Our freedom is found not in being without a master, but in the identity of our master. Because there will always be a boss, it very much matters who that boss will be.
Haters Gonna Hate
Exploring what the Gospel has to say about the world has caused me to rethink how I view the world, what I expect from the world, and what I should see as my purpose in the world.
The Devil's in the Details: The End Doesn't Justify the Means
I would like for us to think about a lie that the devil has been hawking since the beginning of time: the ends justify the means.
The Devil's in the Details: To Serve, Not to Be Served
We began exploring how “the devil is in the details,” as his deceptions are designed to sound appealing, and maybe even right, until we examine them more closely.
The Devil's in the Details: The Purpose of Our Privilege
The devil tempts us in this same way. He entices us with luxury, or causes us to fixate on our needs until we forget that God put us here to do more than eat and drink.
Christ our Common Ground
If we look at the world around us and think that there is no way that we could ever find unity in Christ with our political opponents, or people who frighten us because they come from half a world away.
Everywhere a Sign
Jesus performs seven acts, or miracles, that are classified as signs. John calls them signs because their purpose is to reveal Jesus’s identity as the Word become flesh.
Pick a Side
It is in these times when it is most imperative that I remember my true calling as a Christian – to love each and every person as Jesus does.
What “Field of Dreams” Taught Me about Church
Wouldn’t it be great if we were so locked in to the guidance of the Spirit that nothing could persuade us to cease in our effort to follow where it leads?
A Tale of Two Kingdoms
Gone are the days of civil conversation. Discussion for the sake of learning from others’ perspectives seems to be a thing of the past. Now everyone talks, but no one listens.
They Are Weak, but He Is Strong
There is something about faith in Christ that causes us to be the most at peace, when the world thinks we should be the most disturbed.
Finding Our Identity
We want to stake a claim to our own identity—far enough away from the mainstream to be an individual, but not so far that we are alone. We want to be our own man or woman, and yet we also want to belong.
Smallness and Significance
There is something about the beach that reminds me of who I am and who God is; this keeps me focused on the God who empowers me to minister to others. The beach reminds me of my smallness.
