Category Archives: Scripture

Paul in Acts: The Obedience of Faith

Before looking at the story of Paul’s conversion in Acts 9, I’m reminded of something he says in Romans: [Jesus is the one] through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Devotional, Discipleship, Faith, Family, God, Gospel, Jesus, Kids, Kingdom Values, Obedience, Paul, Scripture, Sunny | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Paul in Acts: Even Scattered Seeds Grow

I’m reading the book of Acts right now with an eye toward studying Paul: his movements and his teachings according to Luke. I’ll carry this along for the first little bit here in 2025. For the purposes of clarity, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Devotional, Faith, God, Gospel, Hope, Jesus, Missiology, Paul, Scripture | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Best Books of 2024

Each year, I set myself a goal of reading one book per week. It’s a pretty ambitious goal and most years I miss the mark. But this year, I’ve finished 54 books and many of them have been really great. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Church, Culture, Faith, Gospel, Marriage, Philosophy, Prayer, Scripture, Social Issues, Sports, Theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Parable of the Ugly Christmas Ornament

In the Bybee family, we have a tradition of decorating for Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving. The boys and I get in the attic and bring down all of the Christmas boxes and while Sunny puts out all of … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Devotional, Faith, Family, Gospel, Hope, Jesus, Love of Christ, Missiology, Preaching, Scripture, Sunny | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

True Faithfulness

One of the distinctive marks of the Kingdom of God is the way success is measured. This is one of the primary clashes between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world. In worldly kingdoms, success is about … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Devotional, Eschatology, Faith, God, Jesus, Kingdom Values, Scripture, Sports | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Not Knowing

I wrote this a few years ago about going and not knowing, which is the essence of faith.

Posted in Blogging, Devotional, Disappointment, Faith, God, Hope, Scripture, Theology | Leave a comment

On Despair and Hope

In the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election this week, many people I know are exuberant. That’s probably not surprising, given that I live in a military town in a “red” state. Folks around here are generally conservative by nature, both … Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety, Blessings, Culture, Disappointment, Eschatology, Faith, God, Gospel, Hope, Jesus, Kingdom Values, Politics, Race, Scripture, Social Issues, Theology | 1 Comment

Essential

We’re days away from the most important election of our lives. At least that’s what we’re told. On Election Day, I’ll be 48 years old. By my count, this is about the 7th or 8th time in my adult life … Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety, Culture, Devotional, Eschatology, Faith, Gospel, Jesus, Kingdom Values, Mom, Politics, Scripture, Social Issues, Stewardship, Theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Boundaries in Families, Part 3

Within our families, we are trying to balance being connected with standing separately. Psychologists refer to this as self-differentiation. This is when I can voice my own thoughts or views, even if they’re different than yours. And yet, while doing … Continue reading →

Posted in Boundaries, Faith, Family, God, Jesus, Kingdom Values, Marriage, Preaching, Scripture, Sermon on the Mount | Leave a comment

Boundaries in Families, Part 1

Family is where we learn about the importance of boundaries. Your Mom and Dad taught you about “Yes” and “No,” about how to behave and — just as importantly — how NOT to behave. Family is where we learn about … Continue reading →

Posted in Boundaries, Family, God, Marriage, Preaching, Scripture | Leave a comment