Shipwreck 2 – Reason and Revelation, Malta and Islands of Grace
There was once a minister of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ whose fervency for sharing this Truth had led him to trouble with the civic authorities. He was en route to the capital of Rome for a trial when his ship encountered a fierce storm and was closeContinue Reading
Contemplate Advent
God, help us to look deeper this Advent and Christmas and to not let us get caught in a surface-deep understanding of Christmas. “It came upon a midnight clearThat glorious song of oldFrom angels bending near the earthTo touch their harps of gold“Peace on the earth good will to men”From Heaven’s allContinue Reading
Verbs
“I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this…” (2 Samuel 6:21-22 NIV) I’m on a program to read through all the psalms in one month. That works out to about 5 a day, on average. Today I was reading Psalms 94-99 and was struck byContinue Reading
Expectations, again
As I write this we are still en route to Thanksgiving – only 6 3/4 hours of driving time to go, in addition to potty breaks, supper stop, etc. Currently we are driving through part of the Appalachian Mountains where you expect curvy roads, tree covered mountains, and an occasionalContinue Reading
Thanksgiving and Gratitude
In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (I Thes. 5:18 NASB) The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. (Ps. 28:7 NIV)Continue Reading
Expectations, continued
We are en route to our Thanksgiving destination. So far, thanks to multiple electronic devices – especially those with Internet connections – the backseat has been free of general conflict and grumpiness. (Thanks be to God!) I drove the first leg of the journey and my expectations of a smoothContinue Reading
Expectations
As I write I am preparing our family for a long car trip to spend Thanksgiving with out-of-state family. Family travel always includes expectations – good and bad – but today I woke up thinking about the bad ones. How many fights in the back seat of the van? HowContinue Reading
Shipwreck 1 – Not my choice
A man who had persecuted the Christians found himself called by God into not only belief, but mission ministry. He went from looking for Christians to imprison to being the one imprisoned for his faith. Finally, the authorities decided his “crimes” and his citizenship meant he had to go seeContinue Reading
For God’s Persecuted People
God, Thank you for the glorious miracles you have done in the past because of your grace and the display of your mighty power. You loved your people and gave them great victory, taking great delight in them. But today there are many of your children who are persecuted –Continue Reading
Living Rent Free
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2 NKJV) Do you have a messy spot in your house? Maybe a table top that needs cleaned, a closet that wantsContinue Reading