Oh, what joy for thosewhose disobedience is forgiven,whose sin is put out of sight!Yes, what joy for thosewhose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,whose lives are lived in complete honesty!When I refused to confess my sin,my body wasted away,and I groaned all day long.Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.My strength evaporated …
Thought: Communication that goes unanswered leads to weariness. I have pondered this thought today. And I decided it isn’t just that communication is unanswered, it is the waiting. Waiting can be weary. My nephew and his wife just had their second child at a bit over forty weeks. They waited. Ready to see the baby, …
Sunday we did something we rarely do anymore. We took a picnic to the park. Purchasing fried chicken with sides along with some lemonade and ice tea, we spread our blankets on the ground for a picnic the old fashioned way. As we laid out our lunch, Dave discarded something in the trash. As he …
Thanks for walking down memory lane with me the last few days. It’s been fun to call to mind events from the past that have shaped and molded who I have become. As I remember, I see two benefits. First, remembering helps me see how God is present in my life. I see how he …
One more look at Jesus’ words this week. Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly. John 7:24 Read: John 7:21-24 Jesus is referencing a miracle he performed on the Sabbath. He showed compassion rather than following the restrictions for the Sabbath that forbid a person to do work. The healing required the man …
The first time I encountered a ropes course was my first year of teaching in 2008. Every fall the high school students participated in a three day event designed to build community. Interterm, as it was called, offered a different activity each day. I chose to go with the students to the ropes course. A …
A decade or more ago there was a popular study entitled, “WWJD – What would Jesus Do?” It came complete with wrist bands, books, study guides – the complete deal. As a church we worked through the study in small groups, deliberately attentive to how we responded to difficult situations in daily life. Saturday my …
Read: Acts1:14 The good news is that Jesus’ mother and brothers did become believers. They were gathered with the others in the upper room at Pentecost. His brother, James, wrote the book of James we find in the New Testament. He also lead the Jerusalem council recorded in Acts 15. Whatever you are experiencing right …
Read: John 7:3-5 I wonder what the expectation for the oldest child was in a Jewish family. In one resource it said, “Sons, especially the firstborn, were the guarantee of lineage and the promise of maintaining family holdings.”* Jesus’ announcement to his family that he was leaving the business and going into ministry was likely …
Read: Psalm 139:12-16 The fourth, and final pane, is the area we don’t know and others don’t know either. This is an exciting place! Here is all our untapped potential, skills, dreams, abilities, possibility! I love the reading today because it reminds me that, although I don’t know, I have a Creator God who does …