“I have bad news,” my friend announced on our weekend walk. “Oh, no! What’s going on?” I held my breath as possibilities flashed through my mind. “My landlord called, and I have to move.” Relief was my first emotion. I’d heard too many acquaintances and family members share cancer diagnoses recently, and I sil[...]
"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day, God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation." G[...]
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with[...]
I started a new habit in 2022 of listening to the Youversion Bible App Verse of the Day every morning before getting my day started. I really enjoy the variety of speakers from various parts of the world. It helps me remember just how vast the Kingdom of God is in this world. The speaker's interpretation hit home for me on one[...]
Have you ever been physically assaulted by a tree? I have. A palm tree attacked me as I crossed a multi-lane road while honeymooning in Mexico. (An overnight windstorm, a broken branch, residual gusts…you get the picture.) Yet, I do not harbor any resentment toward palm trees. To me, these beauties represent tropical destinat[...]
The book of 1 John is packed with so much truth and conviction. The writer John was one of the closest eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus and has lived the remainder of his life spreading the gospel. He writes his letters to the new Christians in the Roman empire, focusing on love. John displays two aspects of love essential for[...]
“I will bring him near, and he will come close to me - for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 30:21b (NIV) As human beings, we have a terrible tendency to go astray and seek out something other than God. In the garden of Eden, we sought knowledge in a forbidden fruit. In th[...]
"When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod." Matthew 2:12 (NLT) The Life Application Bible notes are so interesting concerning this passage of scripture. I used to think about this part of the Magi story in one dimension. After the[...]
We have had our share of guests in the neighborhood barns. From wandering waifs looking for a warm shelter to hardened criminals seeking to hide from their captors, we've seen a few of your folk stumble in. But these visits, while occasionally disturbing our animalistic patterns for a day or two, were not extraordinary. Nothing[...]
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" Ephesians 2:8-10. (ESV). Life has a way of revea[...]