Mark 13:5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you.” One of my students recently gave a speech on the importance of telling the truth. She cited a study stating a whopping 60% of people lie at least once during a 10-minute conversation. The most common culprit behind Continue Reading…
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I was at a conference once when the speaker challenged us to think about what we consider a win. I’ve never forgotten the illustration he used. He said a “win” for the sound Continue Reading…
Daniel 5:23 “…But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.” If I saw a hand out of nowhere writing something on the wall, I guess my face would pale and my knees would knock, too. That was the reaction Babylonian King Continue Reading…
1 Peter 2:17 “Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.” Everyone longs to be respected, no matter who they are. Aretha Franklin spelled it out in her iconic song. “R-E-S-P-E-C-T; find out what it means to me.” Although we live in a Continue Reading…
John 3:8 “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” As I looked out my window, I watched the tops of the trees dance like winsome Continue Reading…
James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Does your thinking ever trick you into believing you possess a certain quality simply because you’ve heard about it? In 1974, Chip and I transformed our Chevy van into something that resembled an RV. With a makeshift Continue Reading…
Acts 17:27 “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” I love the voice activation on my phone. All I have to do is say, Okay Google, and access to Continue Reading…
2 Corinthians 1:9 “Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” What does hopelessness feel like to you? I’m sure you’ve been there. Every source of security—gone. All the legs supporting Continue Reading…
Psalm 16:5; 8 “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure…. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” How can we find security in a world that seems petering on destruction? I’ve been reading about the sweeping Continue Reading…
2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” [ESV] The day finally came. Six weeks earlier my husband had Continue Reading…