Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. (Psalm 85:10-11 NIV) While visiting Washington, D.C., I toured the sites where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and later died. Next door, in the bookstore, I was struck by a towering, three-story stackContinue Reading
Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. (James 4:14 ESV) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have beenContinue Reading
They said to one another, “Were our hearts not burning within us when He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32 NASB) Last Saturday, during our family reunion, the plan was to take a relaxing pontoon boat ride along theContinue Reading
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV) Last weekend at the family reunion I heard aContinue Reading
“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 NIV) It is a popular thing to encourage someone to “follow their heart.” In theory, this sounds great: be true to yourself, make yourself happy, etc. But in practice, following our heartContinue Reading
As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is refined; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. (Psalm 18:30 NASB) Your word is a lamp to my feetAnd a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105 NASB) Imagine taking a tree leaf and examining it with a magnifying glass –Continue Reading
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15 NKJV) I spent this past weekend at my mom’s mother’s family reunion at a state park near St. Louis, Missouri. My grandmother was the second of six children born to a poor farm family in East-Central Illinois in the veryContinue Reading
I will bow down [in worship] toward Your holy templeAnd give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;For You have magnified Your word together with Your name. (Psalm 138:2 AMP) I recently reread the story of Jonah. As a kid, I only knew the basics: Jonah wasContinue Reading
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! (Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT) Have you ever thought aboutContinue Reading
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13 NLT) One of the pastors I deeply respect is Dutch Sheets, the founder and host of GiveContinue Reading