1 Samuel 13:13-14 “’You have done a foolish thing,’ Samuel said. ‘You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure…’” Are we “all in” doing life God’s way or do we Continue Reading…
Mark 14:8 “She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.” I’ve recently been re-reading Charles Sheldon’s classic, In His Steps. He describes one incident where two sisters are getting into their carriage when the younger one notices a shabbily dressed little Continue Reading…
2 Corinthians 8:2 “In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.” An unpleasant part of life involves the experience of being squeezed. Pressure forces something on the inside to end up on the outside. Anything from trying to Continue Reading…
Matthew 4:20 “At once they left their nets and followed him.” I’m definitely a stick-to-your-plans type of person. Once I set my goal I hold on to it like a dog with a bone. That’s why when I had the thought to remain an extra day in Ohio to write Continue Reading…
1 Samuel 26:10 “As surely as the Lord lives, the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.” Don’t we all at times have trouble holding situations in life loosely? Speaking as someone who has a Continue Reading…
Psalm 34:1 “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” “Your praise will ever be on my lips….” The refrain of Bethel Music’s song by Kalley Heiligenthal ran through my mind as I recovered from the life-threatening illness of sepsis. Not strong enough to Continue Reading…
Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” “The woods are snowy, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep.” I’ve always loved that Robert Frost poem. It Continue Reading…
Hebrews 6:12 “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” A few years ago I began experiencing pain in my upper right arm. I was told, among other things, to do stretching exercises every day. I followed these Continue Reading…
2 Corinthians 2:7 “Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.” How do we respond to weak believers? Do we throw them under the bus or extend an olive branch? “All we are saying… is give peace a chance…” Continue Reading…
Galatians 2:10 “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.” “They’re here!” It had all come together at lightning speed. The time between our first meeting with Bethany Christian Services to the night the Congolese family Continue Reading…