Psalm 30:11 “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.” Bad things happen in a fallen world. Hope rises from the ruins in a redeemed one. A friend of mine lost her husband after his long battle with a chronic illness. She and her two teenage Continue Reading…
Acts 2:24 “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him…. What a profound truth! Sometimes I race past familiar scripture with the Continue Reading…
Luke 2:10-11 “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” [ESV] Taxes…lots of taxes. Political power on steroids. A religious establishment Continue Reading…
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world….” The classic 1963 movie, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, featured more iconic comedians than any film that’s ever been produced. It also contained more adjectives in its title than most productions. It’s those four adjectives (the mads)that keep echoing in Continue Reading…
1 Corinthians 15:19 “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” Everyone needs hope. Those scarred by life’s hurts may try to resist it. But even the most hardened skeptic longs to have something to hope for. It’s the Continue Reading…
Psalm 137:1-3 “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps” Discouragement. It stops us in our tracks. It locks us in limbo. It deafens us to hope. Israel was well acquainted with it. After four hundred years of cruel Continue Reading…
Isaiah 55:8 “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. There are times when I just don’t get what God is doing. To paraphrase Shakespeare, my prayers seem to be “filled with sound and fury, signifying nothing.” I feel helpless in the face of injustices, Continue Reading…
Romans 5:20 “…But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” “He was a great kid, always smiling…” These words describe Martin Richard, the 8-year old boy who died in the Boston Marathon bombing. His death captured for me, perhaps more than anything, the horrific nature of the tragedy. The Continue Reading…
2 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore we do not lose heart….” Stress so heavy it feels as if life itself is being squeezed out. Thoughts swimming in a sea of uncertainty. Feelings of rejection, ridicule and defeat threatening on every side. Ever feel like this? Paul certainly did. Yet he sends Continue Reading…
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Do you know the most popular Old Testament scripture? According to Biblegateway, Jeremiah 29:11 reigns as the most frequently requested Continue Reading…