John 16:1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.” So what were those things Jesus said to his disciples to keep them from falling? After walking with him for three years, seeing his miracles, hearing his teachings, experiencing his compassion, who would have Continue Reading…
Romans 8:37 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” The roar of “We Are….Penn State” boomed across the whole commonwealth. Our unranked football team was up against Ohio State, positioned as number 2 in the nation, but that only intensified the electric atmosphere. Continue Reading…
Mark 10:9 “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Grandpa Creech was a great storyteller. The story he most often loved to tell revealed his deep affection for Grandma…. After Grandpa returned home from the army, he was nearing his old homeplace when he spotted a woman Continue Reading…
1 Thessalonians 5:11“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” You’ve probably heard the term “sweet spot.” Everything flows together at just the right time and just the right place to produce the maximum effect. We’re in the groove. We’re in harmony with the Continue Reading…
Genesis 20:26 “He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” Rehoboth Mission. That’s the name of my childhood church in Southern Ohio. Grandpa always Continue Reading…
1 Thessalonians 3:3 “so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them.” The college where I teach recently presented Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man. One of the songs, “Ya Got Trouble” and the cast’s splendid performance of it keeps Continue Reading…
Joshua 7:7 “…If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!” Beyond our victories. Beyond our defeats. Beyond our somewhere-in-the-middles. If we hope to fulfill God’s destiny in our lives, we must refuse to settle for anything less than God’s plan. But sometimes it’s Continue Reading…
Matthew 15:27 “Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Wow! This mother was desperate. The disciples urged him to send her away. Her cries annoyed them. Her audacity probably did too. But she kept pursuing Jesus even when he seemed Continue Reading…
Acts 5:42 “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” What kept those first followers of Christ going? Scripture says they never stopped. Even as the opposition against them grew, the fire in their Continue Reading…
James 1:4 “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Shingles. All I knew about the notorious infection spawned from chicken pox was that it triggered pain. Lots of pain. Now I was experiencing it firsthand. Initially the pain came as intermittent spurts, Continue Reading…