What differentiates a believer and a skeptic? How do we act and live out our lives when we submit to God as our master instead of ourselves? In Proverbs 30 we see this explored… GOD? WHO NEEDS HIM? 1-2 The skeptic swore, “There is no God! No God!—I can do anything I want! I’m more animal […]
Jesus lays dead in a tomb. His followers are distraught. One betrayed him, another denied him three times. They keep their distance, riddled with anxiety about their fate. But not all hide away; women who had been with him since Galilee prepared burial spices and returned to the tomb after resting on the Sabbath… LOOKING […]
There can be no Easter without death. There is no resurrection, in all it’s death-defying glory, without the pain and injustice of the cross. But even in His moment of greatest suffering, Christ reassured and saved. Darkness will come, but we belong to a savior that defeated it… and will do so again. 33 When they […]
Haggai’s message doesn’t sound very spiritual. Instead of “repent” he says “rebuild”. Instead of focusing on our own homes and ambitions, he calls us to realign our priorities. It is a practical directive that will lead to essential growth. A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: “The people procrastinate. They say this isn’t the right time to rebuild my […]
Ecclesiastes reminds us that life is beautiful and fleeting. Don’t sit around waiting for life to happen to you, make it happen! You answer to God for your actions (or inaction); work hard and enjoy the life He has given you! Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns. Don’t hoard your […]
The beginning of Revelation is full of John’s letters to churches. In turn he acknowledges their strengths and then calls out their missteps. But the final church in Laodicea receives a stirring critique and then a clear promise of presence for those who knock… Write to Laodicea, to the Angel of the church. God’s Yes, […]
Have you ever been “plunged into a sea of joy”? What happened? How did it feel? How long has it been since then? Here in Ezra 6 the Israelites have finally rebuilt the temple after long years in captivity in Babylon. God had cleared a space for them… and for you. So the leaders of […]
You are unique. Your history and emotional life are all your own. God knows that. He comes to each one of us. Here in the second chapter of Acts we are in the room on the Day of Pentecost. God’s arrival does not lead to group think, but better relationships. When the Feast of Pentecost […]
Are you working really hard to follow all the right rules? Here in chapter 2 of Paul’s letter to the Galatians he talks about his past and how to overcome a focus on rule-keeping and peer-pleasing. Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready […]
Are you running from God? The story of Jonah being swallowed by a whale is one we all learn as children, but the big fish is only mentioned in three verses. The real story is Jonah’s attitude and the great things God might have planned for us that we might be too prideful to do… […]