Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (2 Peter 1:2 NIV) The thirteen letters of Apostle Paul all start with him blessing the recipients with “grace and peace.” In 1 Corinthians 1:3 (NIV), for example, he says, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord JesusContinue Reading
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.(Mark 12:30–31, NIV) Although I’m still recovering from the intensity—the pressure, preparation, and joy—of leading last weekend’s women’s retreat, I’m fully aware that the world hasn’t paused. Life has moved on. I’veContinue Reading
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a beautiful inheritance. (Psalm 16:6 NIV) [Last weekend, I had the opportunity to speak at a women’s retreat on the theme of legacy. This is a portion of what I shared.] Some legacies are undeniably good. TheyContinue Reading
You have gifted me with abundance and a rich legacy. (Psalm 16:6 VOICE) [This is an excerpt from a session on legacy that I shared last weekend at the women’s retreat.] I began thinking about the idea of legacy when I was around 13 years old. Even at that young age, I found myself wrestlingContinue Reading
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. (John 3:8 NIV) While some people may enter ministry due to family expectations, a desire for influence orContinue Reading
Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly. (Proverbs 13:22 NLT) Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance! (Psalm 16:5-6 NLT) Lord,Continue Reading
Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greaterContinue Reading
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord [in prayer] will be saved.” But how will people call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher (messenger)? And how will theyContinue Reading
God is our refuge and strength,A very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1 NKJV) This has been a heavy week. News reports of violence have added up. In Baltimore last month a Ukrainian refugee woman was murdered in cold blood by a man with a long rap sheet but no reason to commitContinue Reading
Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there.When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them.But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. (Psalm 146:3-5 NLT) [I had plannedContinue Reading