Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. – Psalm 130:1-4 We all fail. We fall short, mess up, and yes, even […]
“Remember, I am with you always” – Matthew 28:20 Today, is a good day! It’s not a holiday, or a family celebration, and I have idea what it will bring. So far, the morning included a shower, breakfast, and some coffee, but I know it is a good day. You may wonder how I know and the answer is simple, Jesus is with me. It […]
I lift up my eyes to the hills – from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. – Psalm 121:1-2 NRSV Yesterday morning, our internet went out. It seems a tree fell somewhere and took the line down with it. While the temporary loss was no tragedy, it did cause some significant impact on my plans […]
Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth. – Psalm 86:11a ESV Recently, we experienced a major storm, one filled with lightning and thunder, and significant rainfall. The storm started while my wife and I were at a church meeting and continued for several hours. As we opened the doors to leave, we knew we would get very wet on […]
Even though it is tempting, we can avoid the bait of pointless contention.
“The pen is mightier than the sword.” Coined in 1839, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, this quote is obviously more about words than the instrument used to write them. At our core, we understand that words matter. They carry great power and can be used for good or evil. Scripture has a lot to say about words. The Bible begins with an expression of their power as […]
Before we consider the role of reason in spiritual discernment, I want to mention I comment I received on yesterday’s post. A concern was raised regarding God’s involvement in our experiences. Specifically, that God does not cause bad things to happen in our lives so that we will learn a lesson. This is a very important point! Rather than simply make a passing comment on […]
Swiss theologian Karl Barth once said we should do theology with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.” While newspapers are no longer the dominant media source, his point is still quite valid. We need our experiences to properly discern God’s will. Yes, as we already established, we need the truth of Scripture and the solid foundation of Tradition, but we understand […]
We all have them, seasons we would rather avoid, that cause us to lose focus and drain our joy. Still, rough patches are a part of being alive. They make up the texture of our lives and going through them can make us stronger in the process. The past year was such a season in our lives. Unexpected challenges arose in a steady stream, sometimes […]
There is nothing quite like knowing you are on your way! There is a sense of excitement and joy that comes from each new beginning in our lives. We feel things begin to tremble as we begin to launch and we know that we are underway, something amazing is about to begin. The anticipation is tangible. Even facing some fear and the unknowns, we know […]