We know that—for the most part. But still, we can be tempted to think that if we just figure out the secret formula—the right mixture of Bible meditation and prayer—we will experience euphoric moments of rapturous communion with the Lord…

Luke included the Emmaus road account (Luke 24:13-35), no doubt, because it was a powerful testimony of the resurrected Jesus by two credible eyewitnesses (Cleopas likely would have been known to many first generation Christians). But there is also something…

A few days ago Doug Wilson wrote a very interesting post exhorting us not to be truncated Christian Hedonists (CH). Yes, it’s necessary that we pursue God as our treasure (CH 1.0).  And our understanding of God must be explicitly…

In a post a couple weeks ago we requested prayer for Mary Pearson (the beloved wife of DG Board member, Mitch Pearson) who for the last 15+ months has been battling Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. Friday night, May 14th, Mary's body…

Greatly disturbed by the suffering he saw in the world, 29-year-old Prince Gautama Siddhartha (563-483 BC), who was later called the Buddha (enlightened one), left his wife and young child and set out on a search for the meaning of…

At the end of Numbers 15, God commanded Moses to have the people attach tassels on the corner of their garments. These were accessories with a purpose And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember…

Jesus, the "founder and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2), once marveled at the faith he found in a man. And it's the only instance that the gospels record such a response from Jesus (Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10). Who was…

Moses had had it up to here. The Israelites' continual complaining and rebellion and lack of faith had been a heavy burden. Now they were standing in front of their tents weeping. Why? Because the food they were eating was…

Death itself is a devastating and horrible thing. But God promises to work all things—including death—for good for those who love him and are called by him (Romans 8:28) Isaiah 57:1-2 gives us one glimpse into how God views…

Psalm 110 is one of the great messianic psalms, and one of the most quoted OT texts in the New Testament. On this side of the cross, we understand that it prophesies of Jesus’ second-coming It’s also quite offensive to…

Today is Lukas Naugle's last day at DG. And we’re feeling a mixture of sadness, deep gratitude, and excitement about what the Lord has in store.  Lukas joined the DG staff in 2004 as our Customer Service Manager (CSM). He…

One night a rock sunk slowly. And when he did, Jesus had some profound things to teach us.1 *** The day had been another mind-blower for the disciples. As they rowed toward Capernaum it was hard to stop talking…

One night a rock sunk slowly. And when he did, Jesus had some profound things to teach us.1 *          *          * The day had been another mind-blower for the disciples. As they rowed toward Capernaum it was hard to…

Today marks the 30th anniversary of John Piper’s pastoral leadership at Bethlehem Baptist Church. Thirty is a significant milestone in a number of ways. John was just over 30 years old (34) when he assumed the senior pastorate on…

One thing the Bible isn’t is utopist about life in this world. It gets unfairly criticized for encouraging a pessimism that makes people passive about doing anything to improve things; people who are “too heavenly minded to be any earthly…

Today, July 28th, marks the 28th anniversary of the plane crash that killed Christian singer/songwriter and evangelist, Keith Green. He was 28 years old. Also lost in that crash were two of Keith’s children (Josiah & Bethany), the pilot…

A few days ago I listened to a sermon by a man who is preparing to lead a missionary team that will plant itself into one of the least reached nations in the world. The most optimistic estimates of the…

In 2 Corinthians 11-12, Paul describes one of the most difficult things for us to grasp and believe about the life of faith: God purposefully blesses us with weaknesses for the sake of our joy. *** So-called “super-apostles” had found…

A few years back I wrote about the 5 "D's" I pray for daily. Recently, I added a sixth: desperation. I need to feel continually my desperate need for God. Whatever it takes, Lord, give me... Delight in you as…

Today we are burying my father, Marlin Bloom. He died at 8:16 PM on July 8th, just days short of his 78th birthday. Having battled numerous health issues over the years, his body simply wore out. Dad’s wish was to…

The Christian life is a journey to the greatest joy that exists. But "the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matthew 7:14). Why is that? Because, paradoxically, in order to pursue our…

Today is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is perhaps the holiest day in the Jewish year. The nation of Israel has all but shut down operations. And similar to Easter for non-religious people from Christian backgrounds…

The Supper that Jesus instituted on the night he was betrayed was a new Passover meal. Or we might say that the Passover was the Old Testament Lord’s Supper. The reason the Lord instituted the Passover was so that people…

The only thing that qualifies us to be followers of Jesus is that we are sinners who need grace. Sinners are the only kind of people Jesus calls, as the Apostle Levi (Matthew) discovered.1 *** Levi looked around the…