Matthew 5:45 “…He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Put down the umbrella! The words could not have been clearer. We were singing about God’s mercies being poured out, his blessings being “showered down.” Interrupting this Continue Reading…
Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one misses the grace of God….” Picture a mountain of doom, one more ominous than anything conceived in the imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien or the artistry of Peter Jackson. This mountain radiates darkness, gloom and storm. It burns so fiercely, that even if 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…
Titus 2:11-12 “For the grace of God…teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” Busted! I knew he was coming after me as soon as I saw him turn on the flashing lights and pull Continue Reading…
James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above….” In the late 70s my husband and I had the opportunity to study at L’Abri in Switzerland with Francis Schaeffer. We had been saving our money to go for quite a while, but between the cost of our flight Continue Reading…
Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” The tender heart is the heart that has been massaged with grace. Rather than allowing the difficulties in life to either harden us or cause us to remain broken, we view our troubles, as Francois Continue Reading…
Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” I recently had a small but poignant experience that sharpened to me the beauty of everyday redemption. I had just paid for getting my hair done at the beauty salon. As I Continue Reading…
Numbers 6:24-25 “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you” I guess I’ve always been a die-hard romantic. When I was in graduate school, my grandpa took me on a tour of the Holy Land. I’ll never forget our lay-over Continue Reading…
2 Samuel 2:29 “You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.” Not long ago, I woke up one morning with the word penumbra on my mind. I had actually dreamed about the word. What made it even stranger was that I had no idea of Continue Reading…
Hebrews 12:24 “…to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” Jesus’ blood or Abel’s? That’s the question the author of Hebrews poses to us. Will we chose the blood of Christ that offers redemption and Continue Reading…