James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart….” You’re probably familiar with the refrain. Maybe you’re a bit like me when it comes to joy. Rather than springing from the deep Continue Reading…
Matthew 25:40 “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” My brother-in-law, David, is probably one of the most eccentric people I’ve ever known; he’s also a great example of someone who sees the dignity and Continue Reading…
1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am….” No one can be a better you than you. No one has had your set of life experiences to shape you into God’s distinctive purpose. Everything from your accolades to your addictions comprise who you are Continue Reading…
Matthew 5:16 “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Photo albums have given way to posts on facebook, perhaps, but pictures, whether encased in a book, framed on a wall or viewed on the internet, capture small Continue Reading…
Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength…” (KJV) Being stuck in an endless check-out line. Cut off in traffic by a careless driver. Faced with yet another act of defiance from your two-year old toddler. Impatience-provoking scenarios come in oh so many forms. Continue Reading…
John 9:4 “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” The race you never ran. The book you never wrote. The old flame you never looked up. The exotic vacation you never took. Continue Reading…
Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” We can embrace it. Apply it. Disregard it. Hate it. Give it. Criticism. What part should it play in life? Scripture tells us that “wounds from a friend can be trusted” (Proverbs 27:6). We don’t easily see our Continue Reading…
Mark 8:34 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” en·ti·tle·ment: the fact of having a right to something. There’s been a lot of talk these days about “entitlements” and “entitlement reform” in our country. Most would agree that Continue Reading…
Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Our daughter, Bethany, received a stipend to be a fellow at the Witherspoon Institute in Washington, DC her senior year Continue Reading…
2 Kings 5:19 “Go in peace.” God meets us—right where we are—he meets us. To me, that’s one of the most profound truths of the Christian faith. We don’t have to go through years of self-abasement in order to catch a glimpse of him. We don’t have to kill Continue Reading…