The NU Blog Page

As we approach the New Year, there has been a recurring thought in my mind that may seem simple, yet it is a powerful truth; “New Year, Same God!” That brief statement reminds me of the beautiful scripture in Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” In writing to the Church…

Sharing our beliefs with others is commanded in the Great Commission by Jesus. Why I Believe Why do we sometimes find it difficult to tell others why Jesus is our Lord and Savior? Or why do we believe God inspired the Bible? If the scriptures are on trial in the public arena, we are not…

No one knows the face of God but the Son, Jesus.  He knew the Father and was highly energized.  People saw that and followed him.  It took only three words, “Come, follow me,” for them to leave their prior lives and follow him.  It was an overpowering experience to realize that God loves the world…

Wisdom is one of the most important themes of the Bible. There are even books of the Old Testament that are referred to as “Wisdom Literature.” (Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, etc.) In the gospels, Luke says that after being found at the temple, the child Jesus “…grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God…

Prayer For a Hurting World Lord, You have promised us your presence. So many around the world feel the need for that presence now – for comfort, for strength, for the provision of life-sustaining resources, for a new home. Their energy is sapped. Their routines are disrupted by the horrors of the past and the…

We are called to give generously, and our attitude when giving is important to God. The text says Jesus “watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury.” Jesus watched the worshipers in the Temple as they gave their offerings. And he watches us today as we give our time and our treasure. Our…

Near my home in East Texas, I once attended a spiritual retreat where one of the participation exercises revolved around pots. We were encouraged to do a “contemplative walk” around the grounds, where we would observe clay pots at three locations. Actually, they were large clay urns. We were to stop at each location and…

Why is family church participation expected of us? Because God wants it to be like the family and because relationships matter. I remember when I was on a deployment to Iraq, my wife had a crisis at home. Our front porch collapsed because it was a poorly poured slab of concrete. The water would build…

Have you ever considered how God uses broken people? I had the privilege this past week of attending an annual benefit luncheon for the Highway 80 Rescue Mission in Tyler, Texas. This organization is dedicated to caring for the homeless, the“street people” in East Texas. The keynote speaker was Elisa Morgan, who served as President…

The Rafa Crossing is in the news since hostilities have broken out again between Israel and Hamas. My family lived in Cairo, Egypt, during the late 1980s. We used some of the time to tour the area and once rode a Volkswagen tour bus across the northern Sinai and into Israel. The passengers included both…