Before Him

“All my longings lie open before You, Lord, my sighing is not hidden from You.” (Psalm 38:9 NIV) God can handle our longings. He is not afraid of human desire. In fact, laying our longing before Him might be the very key to containment and…

Aftermath

“But now take a look. I’m going to give this city a renovation, working a true healing inside and out. I’m going to show them a life whole, brimming with blessings. I’ll restore everything that was lost to Judah and Jerusalem. I’ll build everything back…

Like Wildflowers

“Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone – as though have never been here.” (Psalm 103:15-16 NLT) The wildflowers in Iowa have been nothing short of epic this year. We’ve lived here…

With Us

“I will make my dwelling with you.” (Leviticus 26:11 NASB) It’s a post-garden promise that we can trace through every Old Testament book and straight into the gospel encounters of Jesus. His fully divine, fully man birth and ministry marked the start of a new…

Gold-filled Scars

May God Himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, put you together – spirit, soul and body – and keep you fit for the coming of our master, Jesus Christ. The one who called you is dependable. If He said it, He’ll do…

Sovereign God

“Long before He laid down the earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love.” (Ephesians 1:4 MSG) Yesterday, I spent a good deal of time in the…

Messier Along the Way

“He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” He told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.” (John 9:6 NIV)…

Heart Desires

“Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4 NIV) I grew up Catholic and Methodist. Most people can’t say that. My mother was an ordained minister and my father was a staunch Catholic. As a result…

More than Ritual

“Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in matters of right living, you won’t know the first thing about entering the Kingdom.” (Matthew 5:20 MSG) I have always wondered about the Pharisees: about how they got so powerful, so familiar with God’s word and…