“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 NIV) As I write this I am aware of being marked by several things thisContinue Reading
“And may the Lord cause you to increase and excel and overflow in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; so that He may strengthen and establish your hearts without blame in holiness in the sight of our God and Father at the coming of ourContinue Reading
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass I’ve heard it said that you should never “help” a baby moth or butterfly out of its chrysalis or cocoon. When that creature is ready to emerge, the struggle of getting out helps the wings to develop fullyContinue Reading
“Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.” (Philippians 4:8 TPT) Who are the people whose comments, encouragement, put-downs, or other speechContinue Reading
To God our Savior,Who alone is wise,Be glory and majesty,Dominion and power,Both now and forever.(Jude 1:25 NKJV) Have you ever looked closely at a mosaic? The amazing picture or pattern you see from a distance becomes very different when you focus on the individual pieces that make up the whole. Christians have justContinue Reading
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV) Pretend you do not live with the benefit of hindsight on the crucifixion story and remember what the first disciples must have seen andContinue Reading
“I do testify to the certainty of what took place, and I write the truth so that you might also believe.” (John 19:35 TPT) We carry memories – both good and bad – that are triggered by a sound, a smell, a taste, a glimpse. The smell of hay remindsContinue Reading
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.“ (Luke 18:19 NIV) Today is “Good Friday,” a day my children used to mix up with “Black Friday.” Although our society knows what the modern “Black Friday” means, I think the original “Good Friday” was also a “Black Friday.” IfContinue Reading
“Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time on and forevermore.” (Psalm 113:2 NRSV) Last night when our family returned home I realized our front door had not been locked while we were gone. I shuddered to think of what “could have happened” and was grateful for what did not happen. AfterContinue Reading
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NIV) So far (as of 9:15 a.m. this morning) I have lived out “There is a time to be born and a time to die.”Continue Reading