Psalm 34:1 “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” “Your praise will ever be on my lips….” The refrain of Bethel Music’s song by Kalley Heiligenthal ran through my mind as I recovered from the life-threatening illness of sepsis. Not strong enough to Continue Reading…
Luke 6:45 “for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” I recently attended a Missions Conference at the college where I teach. I was especially struck by a phrase used by one of the speakers. He exhorted us to “turn up the volume” and live our faith 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…
Ecclesiastes 9:7-8 “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil.” I hate to admit it, but I think I’m more of a see the glass “half-empty” person than Continue Reading…
Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God.” Talking points. We hear them on the news all the time. Surrogates of politicians saturate the media with carefully crafted statements in order to sway people to their Continue Reading…
Zechariah 4:10 “Who dares despise the day of small things….” From the trenches of war, upon receiving a supply of smokeables, CS Lewis wrote: “such little attentions are infinitely cheering when one is dull, lonely and disappointed.” In an environment with few pleasures Lewis appreciated the smallest act of kindness. Little Continue Reading…
Romans 1:21 “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” As we approach this Thanksgiving season, protests, strife and anger saturate the world. Fear, violence, and terror run Continue Reading…
Matthew 19:17 “Jesus replied. ‘There is only One who is good.’” “Want some more coffee?” “No thanks, I’m good.” “Can I get you anything else?” “Nope, I’m good.” I’m good. It’s a common idiom we use these days. It’s not intended to say we possess a certain Continue Reading…
Psalm 13:1 “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” 13:5 “But I trust in your unfailing love….” Unanswered prayer is draining. It saps my energy. It confuses me. Especially when I’m praying for things that appear to be in God’s Continue Reading…
James 1:4 “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Shingles. All I knew about the notorious infection spawned from chicken pox was that it triggered pain. Lots of pain. Now I was experiencing it firsthand. Initially the pain came as intermittent spurts, Continue Reading…