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 […]
A man or woman who has not faced adversity has a diminished understanding of where belief comes from, and of the true value of life. Those who have not experienced great brokenness do not fully comprehend the immense love found in grace. The greater the need for forgiveness, the greater the potential for appreciating the gift of new life. I have a list of experiences […]
I have many favorite hymns, but one of them is definitely “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing.” The hymn always touched me but recently, it became even more meaningful. There is a stanza in this classic hymn that includes the words, “He breaks the power of canceled sin, he sets the prisoner free.” I cannot begin to imagine how many times I sang these […]
Recently, my wife and I went out for a lunch together at a local restaurant. It was wonderful to spend some time together. What was not as wonderful was the discovery of a hair in my sandwich just as I finished eating the first half. The waitress was very understanding when I explained the situation and immediately went to get the manager. When she arrived, […]
“I didn’t do it!” oh, how I remember those shouts from my young children when we would ask them about how something got broken, went missing, or used inappropriately. Their immediate response was denial. It seemed, no one in our family did it. We even developed a humorous spirit about these moments, blaming the dogs, mystery visitors, even imaginary animals for the unexplained events. We […]
Why is is that some of the most simple lessons seem more challenging to learn and put into practice? Recently, I was browsing religion and faith blogs to find some personal inspiration and to make connection with other bloggers with similar interests. I found a number of interesting sites and posts and even discovered a couple of blogs I enjoyed so much I added them […]
I want to thank all of you for your patience. There are times when life moves at high speed and before you know it a week or more passes. I appreciate the grace afforded me when these times occur. A number of things occurred recently that consumed a significant amount of time and attention. I am sorry for the distractions and for the break in […]
Kindness is a wonderful thing. It is great to receive and equally wonderful to give. It can multiply the joyous times of life and bring the light of hope into the darkest seasons. My devotions recently led me to a wonderful reflection on kindness in the form of a story from the ancient Christians: Abba Moses was asked to travel to another community to pass […]
Earlier today, I was pondering what attribute of God’s character had the greatest impact on my life. Now, I know that it is impossible to narrow it to one and that I am in need of all that God is in my life. I also realize that, like a favorite passage of scripture, choosing one favorite part of God’s character is likely to change depending […]
If you are struggling to find victory in your life, you may want to take a look at your relationships. You may be battling a persistent sin, or trying to make it through a challenging time. You may even feel like your relationship with God has reached a plateau and you desire a deeper more powerful walk of faith. If this is you, have you […]