David Bahn - Reflections

I was confirmed as a college student. The pastor gave me a confirmation verse that aligns with these thoughts: Jesus says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).  I'm t...

We are saint and sinner. And the surest sign that we are saints is that we have a conscience that troubles us when we sin. The greatest danger signal to our spiritual welfare is when we stop feeling bad about something that we know is not right or godly.  It is not an easy battle. And there are times we might wish to be done with it. But God calls us into this battle, and promises to protect us.

Next time you feel the brunt of others' criticism, take heart. You are in good company. Sadly, there are those who delight in disturbing others. Being criticized might be thought of as a red badge of courage. On the other hand it is simply a reality of life in a fallen world. And when we do experience such troubles we can take heart in remembering Peter's encouragement: " "Dear f...

The issue Paul was facing in Galatia wasn't just about circumcision. It was about how that requirement nullified the Gospel and undercut the grace of God. He writes, "I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace." 

We must never cede the Gospel in favor of even the finest sounding extra requirements. But more often than not our conflicts within the church are about preferences, and matters of opinion about which honorable men and women can disagree. In that case, civility must prevail. Jesus has freed us from the curse of the Law, from condemnation, and from the power of sin. We honor him best when we love a...

Not every sip of whiskey leads to an alcoholic's nightmare. But there are legitimate dangers we must avoid when dealing with any potential domino effect action. In the case of adding any additional requirement than faith to our salvation the dangers have eternal consequences. Certain clothing. Specific worship forms. Contrived initiation rites. These are the poison-tainted Kool Aide which we m...

Once we get off of the treadmill of doing good so that we're safe from harm, danger, or judgment, we will find great peace and true freedom. We're free - not to do as we please in hedonistic pursuit of every distraction and sin, but to serve one another in love. We're free to give the forgiveness we've received, for we don't have to worry about running out. We're free to se...

I was privileged to lead the people of Trinity Lutheran Church, Amarillo, Texas in a Strategic Mission Planning Event this weekend. I also preached at their three services. This is a recording of my message at the 6 PM service. I pray that you are edified by this message.

Paul speaks of the blessings that came from being connected to the free woman, the mother of the child of promise. We are sons and daughters of the free woman - brothers and sisters of Christ. We’re connected to the promises of God in Jesus, and those are the most valuable connections of all. If you wish to see some of my photos from this trip, you may see them in my smugmug gallery .

Our motive for sharing the message of Jesus is not so that we raise the living standards of those who come to faith. It is so that they can experience the fullness of God's love in Jesus, and give him the honor he rightly deserves. And he deserves a lot of honor and has much love to shower upon us! If you wish to see some of my photos from this trip, you may see them in my smugmug gallery .

I thank God for those who light the path and point us toward Jesus. I pray that some may be moved to repentance and faith in him through this statue so beautifully expressing Jesus' lordship over Cuba and his kindness and grace he so freely gives.  If you wish to see some of my photos from this trip, you may see them in my smugmug gallery .

I thank God for those who light the path and point us toward Jesus. I pray that some may be moved to repentance and faith in him through this statue so beautifully expressing Jesus' lordship over Cuba and his kindness and grace he so freely gives. If you wish to see some of my photos from this trip, you may see them in my smugmug gallery .

Freedom is a gift of God which has far-reaching blessings. We tend to think of those blessings on the basis of our personal benefit. That is true. But Hagar – though the slave woman – was protected by God. People in Cuba enjoy the same universal blessings of God’s daily provision, the benefits of natural law, and rain and sun. The difference, however, is more than our personal benefit. The differe...

Like to Photos from Cuba Diane and I just returned from a very interesting trip. Several members of the Northwest Houston Photo Club went on a PhotoFly trip to Cuba. In many ways Cuba is in the grips of their socialist leaders and system. For example a university graduate makes the same as salary as a high school dropout. Their infrastructure is in shambles. We had electricity about 50% of the tim...

I'm going to abide for the next two weeks or so. Jesus says, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." So, in order that I am able to produce more fruit, I will be abiding in Jesus and seeking his renewing grace. That means I'll not publish these podcasts until sometime after January 26. May God bl...

Paul speaks of being in the anguish of childbirth because of the situation in Galatia. He took in the pain they were in danger of inflicting on themselves. He cared deeply for their spiritual wellbeing. He beautifully reflected God's love to them. We may not be able to carry the pain of the world, but we can certainly open our hearts to those who are hurting, struggling, sinning, and suffering - i...

Have you ever been smooth-talked into buying something you really didn't need? During a period of 6 months we were visited by two of the most smooth-talking door-to-door salesmen on the face of the planet. The proverb says, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses" (Proverbs 27:6). I'm not sure those salesmen are enemies. But they sure did kiss up to us.

Most of us would rather have it all together, believing we must have no flaws if we are to share the message of Jesus. But the message of Jesus is shared by messy people. We who are broken and are not afraid to admit it can testify to God's grace and power - a far better focus for others' faith than the life of even the most sanctified believer.

Is your life is worth imitating. Do you want others to behave the way you do? Do you want to have people pointing to you and saying,  there goes a true believer. It's the opposite of having someone think of you as a hypocrite. It's living a life of real faith. It's about letting people see your struggles and your successes. It means recognizing we are not Lone Rangers. We are part of the Body of C...

Our pathway to either preference is a product of many different experiences, times of pain and struggle, blessings of joy and favor, and challenges of many kinds. But we come into our own when we recognize the blessings of freedom in Christ and his calling to abandon anything that holds us back from faith active in love. So whether a more formal liturgical style of worship or a more contemporary s...

Any time we believe we can guarantee a good outcome by our efforts we are in danger of setting aside the true message of Jesus. His grace and truth are the foundation upon which we can build a life strong in hope and joyful in freedom. Our hope is in Jesus. Our freedom is in him, and in taking ourselves off the hook of engineering a good outcome by means of our own efforts. That freedom is made po...

We all have our preferences. And as long as we keep them in that category no problem. We acknowledge all modes of baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We recognize that not all people everywhere will find just one type of hymnody edifying or beneficial. But take Christ away, and his message of grace and truth, and we can end up clinging to our preferences to our shame and etern...

We do not know what tomorrow will bring. But we do know that God is in every moment and place, situation, and event we experience. Jesus urges us to watch and wait for his appearing, recognizing his grace and goodness in every moment, and rejoicing in his goodness and mercy all the days, seasons, and years of our lives. 

The idea that we can call the King of the Universe, "Abba" is a radical idea. This is the Creator of all that exists, the King of kings and Lord of lords. So we call him "Abba?" Daddy? Papa? Father? We do. And this is a reflection of the revolutionary closeness of the relationship between God and His children, as made possible through Jesus. But it is also an acknowledgement of our adoption throug...

Growing up into Christ is not only a matter of becoming more spiritually mature. It is also a matter of becoming more deeply thankful for his redemption, forgiveness, grace, and love.