Genesis 28:16 “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” Jacob knew it was time to get out of Dodge. He had deceived his brother Esau and stolen his blessing as the firstborn. Esau vowed to kill him. So he fled. He headed for his Continue Reading…
Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time….” I’m a firm believer beauty has a way of stimulating us toward a more generous thought life. It lifts us above the petty and connects us with Something bigger. I think that accounts for what happened to me in the Continue Reading…
Galatians 6:1 “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.” Cheap grace says, “I don’t care if you drink that poison, I love you anyway.” True grace says, “I Continue Reading…
Psalm 8:4 “what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? [ESV] The exact same words. The exact opposite meaning. The question…why me? can be asked in one of two ways. The two ways stand miles apart. In fact, you might Continue Reading…
Galatians 1:10 “If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” “You don’t have to try so hard; you don’t have to give it all away….You don’t have to try, try, try, try, try….” The lyrics streaming over the radio caught my attention. Continue Reading…
Matthew 5:45 “…He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Put down the umbrella! The words could not have been clearer. We were singing about God’s mercies being poured out, his blessings being “showered down.” Interrupting this Continue Reading…
Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one misses the grace of God….” Picture a mountain of doom, one more ominous than anything conceived in the imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien or the artistry of Peter Jackson. This mountain radiates darkness, gloom and storm. It burns so fiercely, that even if Continue Reading…
2 Kings 5:19 “Go in peace.” God meets us—right where we are—he meets us. To me, that’s one of the most profound truths of the Christian faith. We don’t have to go through years of self-abasement in order to catch a glimpse of him. We don’t have to kill Continue Reading…
Titus 2:11-12 “For the grace of God…teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” Busted! I knew he was coming after me as soon as I saw him turn on the flashing lights and pull Continue Reading…
James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above….” In the late 70s my husband and I had the opportunity to study at L’Abri in Switzerland with Francis Schaeffer. We had been saving our money to go for quite a while, but between the cost of our flight Continue Reading…