“In Him was life and that life was the light of all mankind.” (John 1:4 NIV) My family has spent the last two days hosting a moving sale. It’s no small thing, pulling up stakes in Iowa, loading all our earthly possessions into a 26…
“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.” (John 21:3 NIV) People get hurt in church. They either get hurt by their…
“The Lord God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18 NIV) Of course, we are highly familiar with the context of this scripture. It is in the Creation story; in the wake between Adam and the introduction of Eve. It…
“I have told you these things for a purpose…” (John 15:11 MSG) Wait, what things? John 15:1-10 can be condensed to a list. Jesus the Vine.His Father is the Vinedresser.Non fruit-bearing branches are removed entirely.Fruit-bearing branches are pruned to bear even more fruit.Christ longs for…
“Keep the Sabbath; it is holy to you.” (Exodus 31:14 MSG) I had a Holy Spirit tug yesterday to call a certain friend. I texted instead. She and I have an unspoken arrangement: we usually text before we call to make sure the other has…
“But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said, “We want a king over us. Then we will be like he other nations, with a king to lead us and go out before us and fight our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:19-20 NIV) I’m…
“Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18 MSG) I tried to spend my evening walk last night listening. Occasionally, my eyes drifted downward, to stay aware of uneven sidewalks and scattered path hazards. On one such glance,…
“I will restore everything that was lost. God’s Decree.” (Jeremiah 32:44 MSG) We come to the final chapter of Jeremiah and find the prophet has written his closing words from the palace’s prison cell. He had been tossed in the clink by his own country’s…
“Look, the time is coming when I will turn everything around for my people, both in Israel and in Judah. I, God, say so. I’ll bring them back to the land I gave their ancestors and they’ll take up ownership again.” (Jeremiah 30:3 MSG) God…
“This is God’s word on the subject: as soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I am doing. I have it…