Author Archives: Pete

The Horns of the Wild Ox

Posted on March 5, 2025 by Pete

It’s one of those repeated phrases that arrests the attention. But this one, I’m pretty sure, for the first time. I’m in Numbers and reading of Barak’s frustrating attempt to get Balaam, a well-known practitioner of divination, to curse God’s … Continue reading →

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Keeping Count (2012 Remix)

Posted on March 4, 2025 by Pete

I know I stop and pause over these verses every year when I encounter them. Kind of surprised that the last time I wrote on them was 2012. Taking the thoughts from back then and touching them up a bit … Continue reading →

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Broken Up

Posted on February 27, 2025 by Pete

It wasn’t long after coming to believe in Jesus that I started to hear emphasized the need to come “prepared” to worship Sunday mornings. What that meant, for the most part, was that I needed to be prayed up, studied … Continue reading →

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The Heart Behind Worship (2016 Remix)

Posted on February 26, 2025 by Pete

God is judge. He is the Mighty One, God the LORD, the final arbiter. He carries pure and just scales and will measure according to perfect holiness. And in Psalm 50, He comes calling (50:1-6). The songwriter envisions God speaking … Continue reading →

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No Giving Up

Posted on February 25, 2025 by Pete

Hovering over the “God gave them up” passage in Romans 1 this morning. And thinking that if we “cherry pick” it we may be missing out on some pretty humbling but extremely encouraging fruit. Cherry picking. You know, selecting just … Continue reading →

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Reason Frankly

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Pete

Working my way through Leviticus and, to be honest, there’s a lot of the commands-to-obey that don’t quite land with me. And I’m guessing it’s because they deal with the kind of stuff that was done in ancient Egypt, where … Continue reading →

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Seventy-Seven Times

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Pete

“I’ll take hard-to-obey commands of Jesus for $1,000, Alex.” “Okay. And the answer is: On this one you’ll want to go with the ESV’s seventy-seven rather than the CSB’s seventy times seven. But in reality, you’re not gonna be crazy … Continue reading →

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An Open Ear (2013 Rerun)

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Pete

Most often, when I think about the “surgery” God has done through the dynamics of salvation, I think about what God’s done to the heart. Through Ezekiel, we’re told that, through the regenerating work of salvation, God performs a heart … Continue reading →

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Bet Ya’ He Wasn’t Wearing Shoes

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Pete

Hovering over the first part of Matthew 17. Trying to imagine a face shining like the sun and clothes as white and bright as light itself. Not even the best, darkest sunglasses are going to allow you to stare into … Continue reading →

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The Clothes Really Do Make the Man

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Pete

The “price of admission” wasn’t so much their character as it was their clothing. Not about all the good they had done, but all about the garments they would don. Less about their resume, more about their robe. Chewing this … Continue reading →

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