Pastor Dan (Page 2)

Scripture Psalms: 131,132, [133] & 140, 142 OT: Jer. 26:1-16 NT: Rom. 11:1-12 Gospel: John 10:19-42 Reflection I love superhero movies and comics. I always have. Maybe it was the underoos I wore as a kid or the superhero jammies. How can you not love pajamas that come with a cape? Playing superheroes was every day for my brothers and I. Superhero cartoons on Saturday mornings were the best. There’s nothing like watching Spider-man and Friends and munching on Cap’n Crunch Berries. One of the themes that the superhero films always pick up on is that of identity, particularly Spider-man and Batman. Their hero identityRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 119:145-176 & 128, 129, 130 OT: Jer. 25:30-38 NT: Rom. 10:14-21 Gospel: John 10:1-18 Reflection Speaking is a central component of our being saved, according to Paul (Romans 10:10-13). There is more to it than just us. In our American culture we are so individualistic that we miss the communal aspect of the faith far too easily. The reason that speaking is important to our faith is that it impacts others. We have a role to play in other people hearing the gospel. Paul writes, How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they toRead More →

Scripture Psalms: [120], 121, 122, 123 & 124, 125, 126, [127] OT: Jer. 25:8-17 NT: Rom. 10:1-13 Gospel: John 9:18-41 Reflection “Are you saved?” That’s an important question. It’s one of those questions that people don’t necessarily like asking. It is also one that can be uncomfortable to answer. Yet, it is one that each of us must grapple with at some point in our lives. When I worked with a large parachurch ministry we spent a lot of talking with people about having “assurance of salvation.” As I grew in my understanding of the Scriptures and following Jesus I began to discover that thisRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 31 & 35 OT: Jer. 24:1-10 NT: Rom. 9:19-33 Gospel: John 9:1-17 Reflection “I’m a good person.” “How do you know?” “Because, I follow the rules, I try to do no harm, and I try to help people as best I can. Besides, I’m definitely better than my neighbor.” This is a conversation that I’ve had hundreds, if not thousands of times over the years with people. We so desperately want to be able to say that we are acceptable to God apart from faith that we find all kinds of ways to ease our consciences. We work hard to please God. ThRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 87, 90 & 136 OT: Jer. 13:1-11 NT: Rom. 6:12-23 Gospel: John 8:47-59 Reflection Do you ever wonder if there is a point to anything? Is your life heading anywhere? I wonder that a lot. It seems like we do the same things over and over and over and over and… The circle and cycle of life gets a little weary. Something that I like about the Scriptures is they point us to this big macro picture. They show us that there is a “telos” or an end to things. Our lives are heading somewhere. At some point we will come to anRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 95* & 88 & 91, 92 OT: Jer. 11:1-8, 14-20 NT: Rom. 6:1-11 Gospel: John 8:33-47 Reflection As a campus minister and a pastor you see a great many things. I think the hardest thing that I have had to do over years is help people see that they are in destructive relationships. Each of us has a desire to be deeply loved and accepted. For many people they are willing to be in a destructive relationship simply to be in a relationship. No matter how messed up, how dysfunctional, or how rotten a relationship is, being in it is sometimes the goal.Read More →

Scripture Psalms: [83] or 42, 43 & 85, 86 OT: Jer. 10:11-24 NT: Rom. 5:12-21 Gospel: John 8:21-32 Reflection Our culture does not handle death well. We are hide it. We run from it. We fight death tooth and nail. I think that there are times when we more than anything else want immortality. Other cultures celebrate death. When a loved one dies they hold a parade and celebrate their freedom from this rock and their entrance into eternity. Why are we afraid of it? I think we are not so afraid of death as much as we are afraid of the consequences of ourRead More →

Scripture Psalm: 119:97-120 & 81, 82 OT: Jer. 8:18––9:6 NT: Rom. 5:1-11 Gospel: John 8:12-20 Reflection As a parent of a young child there is one great fear that we all face. It is the kind of fear that strikes people to the heart. This fear is real and palpable. You might think it is the fear that comes from wondering if your child will grow up well, but it’s not. Maybe this fear is that you won’t like their future spouse, that’s not it either. This fear that strikes at the heart of all parents is the fear of stepping on a lego inRead More →

Scripture Psalms: 78:1-39 & 78:40-72 OT: Jer. 7:21-34 NT: Rom. 4:13-25 Gospel: John 7:37-52 Reflection One of my favorite book series is The Lord of the Rings. It is an amazing tale that gets richer as the books progress. Too many times “sequels” are not as good as the original. I think what makes The Lord of the Rings particularly good is that it was conceived as a whole from the beginning. Many of our current novel series were not. The first one is written and published and then after it has shown to be marketable the rest of the books are commissioned. Often this leads toRead More →