Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17. Swing low, sweet chariot Coming for to carry me home Swing low, sweet chariot Coming for to carry me home These lyrics were penned sometime before 1860 by an African man called Wallace Willis. Although this is what he was[...]
Effective faith is based on a principle of submission to authority. "Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, 'Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.' And Jesus said to him, 'I will come and heal him.' The centurion answered and said, 'Lord, I am not[...]
Are you lost? Are you alone? Are you adrift in your circumstances? In the many “seasons” we experience throughout our lifetime, we can often find ourselves run aground on rocks of doubt and confusion. In these moments, we are commonly encouraged to “fear not” or “give it to God,” —- and these are good words to c[...]
The alarm shrilled at 3:15 a.m., but I was already up making coffee. I wouldn’t have wanted to do this every morning—a regular 5 a.m. weekday rise was a struggle enough. But this morning was exceptional and required the sleep sacrifice: my husband and I were flying to Mexico! An Uber, two airports, and two flights later, wit[...]
“Out of heaven, he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you.” Deuteronomy 4:36 (ESV). There has never been before, nor ever will be, a God like Yahweh who has chosen a people unto Himself and proven his presence, power and faithfulness through mercy and signs and the provision of everything that was ever needed.[...]
If we decide to love as Christ loves us, it will look a lot like this: We would Submit to one another, Forgive one another, Encourage one another, Restore one another, Accept one another, Care for one another, Bear with one another, and Carry one another's burdens, as Christ did. This is the shortlist of all God, through Christ,[...]
“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 (NIV). The words “loving yourself” and “self-care” are buzz words in the mental health field. Some people even go so far as to say that it is impossible to love others without loving ourselves first. But it’s often a struggle to know how to do this practically. Fro[...]
Our focus this month is on abiding, following, and practicing - all things we are to do, but why do we do them? An answer would be authority. Yes, you read that correctly, authority. When we abide in Christ, follow Christ's example, and practice spiritual disciplines to be more like Christ, ultimately, we surrender to His author[...]
"To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." 1 Corinthians 12:7. One of the things that I think causes followers of Jesus a great deal of concern and confusion is the consideration of their Spiritual gifting. Some folks seem blessed with ample clues of their strengths in this area. Meanwhile, others[...]
I remember when my wife and I decided to get some occasional help with house cleaning. We cleaned the whole day before the house cleaner showed up. I was thinking to myself, why am I doing this….? About a month ago, I had to go to the dentist. I had a strange desire to receive the dentist's approval. So, before I went, I brus[...]