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The Fruitless Fig Tree and me...Matthew 21:18-27

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  I took this picture up the East Inlet Trail last week.  I posted it to Facebook with the question, "Is the snow deeper than the log it is laying upon?"  The conclusion was that it was.  I guess I will have to trek back up the 4.5 miles with a tape measure to know for sure.  I agree.  The snow is deeper than the log it rests upon.  It makes me think of the hymn line, "How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure?"    I need to remember that God's love for me is greater than my love for Him.  His love for those I love is greater than the love I have for them.  His provision for me and for them is greater and more complete than what I could provide.  While I am commanded to love and provide, I am not to forget who gave me that command and who displays it infinitely beyond what I can do.  That deep love of God comes in many forms. Before I forget, here is another great new song called " Like No Other. "...
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The 2nd Cleansing...Matthew 21:12-17...Singing or Silent?

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  Working on a grant for our re-roof project, I came across this old picture of the church.  I am figuring it was taken in the late 90's or early 2000's.  I think that is a Dodge van on the drive up.  More trees are present then now and the sign has also changed.  There is also no chain link fence attached to the old building.  What a beautiful reminder of the church's impact on this community over the years.   As we hike with Jesus over His last week prior to the cross, we have Jesus hiking into the temple to cleanse it a 2nd time.  The first was 3 years prior at another Passover celebration in Jerusalem.  Now He is back with His disciples and He see more of the same.  What was once addressed is to be addressed again.  The scriptures that Jesus quotes from Isaiah, Jeremiah and the Psalms show us the hypocrisy of the people in regards to the centrality of the worship of God in places designated for His people to gather. Jesus c...
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Hiking with Jesus...Matthew 21:1-11...An inconsistent world

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  My very crude and not to scale map is why I titled this blog post "Hiking with Jesus."  The elevation gain and loss over the next week of Jesus' life is tremendous.  He will make multiple trips from Bethany to Jerusalem gaining and losing 300 to 400 ft of elevation each time.  In the sermon I shared about a hiking trip to Lake Nokoni and Lake Nanita last summer.  After hiking about 10 miles to get to Lake Nokoni you have to make the decision if you are going to go another mile to Lake Nanita but what lies between is a 300 ft. elevation climb and then the same drop to the lake and then back again.  Many stop at Lake Nokoni but if you put in the extra effort you will not regret it.  We will see Jesus putting in a lot of effort over this last week to the cross. The passage is very familiar.  I have covered it at least 40 times in my preaching career.  I blended the gospel accounts together to get a fuller picture of what is going on.  On...
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