I’ve thought so much about worship this week. What it is. What it isn’t. Even what it should be. And one verse keeps coming to mind… But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone…
You and I were created to worship. God created us to worship Him but even those who say they don’t believe in God … worship something. We are hardwired to worship. So in this “hard questions” series – I’m asking… What is the right way to worship God? How does He really want me to…
Today is the 20th Friday of 2018 – I can’t believe how fast this year is passing… I started thinking about my resolutions and goals … how this year was going to be different. How I would deliberately and consistently do my best to balance work, play, and rest. I started the year wanting to…
Maybe you’re someone who reads the First Commandment, You must not have any other god but me. Exodus 20:3 and thinks… Whew, I believe in God as He is revealed in the Bible. I’m good on that one. That’s one commandment I don’t have to worry about. I’m not. I’ve had times when I’ve worried…
With so many religions, how is a person supposed to know what to think? I promised we would look for answers to the hard questions and since we talked about the Bible last week … it seemed like addressing the 1st Commandment might be a good place to go next. The first on God’s list…
I finished reading the Old Testament this week. Each time I work my way through the books of the Law, the historical books, the Psalms, and the prophets … I am overwhelmed with gratitude that the Lord of the universe wants us to know Him. Really KNOW Him! And now, I’m settling in and sitting…
Recently, I read a Gallup Poll Article – Record Few Americans Believe Bible Is Literal Word of God “Fewer than one in four Americans (24%) now believe the Bible is “the actual word of God, and is to be taken literally, word for word,” similar to the 26% who view it as “a book of…
Did you read Gretchen Fleming’s post last week? She started it… “Hi. My name is Gretchen and I’m a grudge-holding, fault finding, over-responsible, jealous, insecure, people-pleasing perfectionist. Oh, did I mention a know-it-all? I’m that too.” As I read her words, I found myself smiling at her honesty and nodding my head in agreement because…
I need God’s forgiveness! No matter how hard I try, I mess up the obedience and love part of my life every single day! I don’t obey God the way He wants me to. I don’t even obey Him the way I want to. I tell Him how much I love Him but with all my heart, soul,…
It’s been years, but I can still picture them well. They were members of our small church in St. Louis. For my story today, I’m going to call them members A and B. Member A – A was a slightly built man with a wisp of silver hair. He had a huge smile and a…
I’ve studied the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah. And I have to admit, I feel bad for the prophets. I’ll bet they didn’t get invited to many parties! They spent their lives proclaiming God’s impending judgment on His people for their failure to trust God through obedience and love. The more I read and studied, the more…
I had no idea how many of you, like me, struggle to live one day at a time. Trusting and following God’s will for today without dwelling on the past or the future may be one of our greatest challenges. Truthfully, I shouldn’t have been surprised! I don’t know anyone over the age of five…
“He is a portion that exactly and directly suits the condition of the soul. The desires of the soul, and the necessities of the soul, and the wants of the soul, and the longings of the soul, and the prayers of the soul. The soul can crave nothing, nor wish for nothing, but what is…
I recently wrote the following about my faith: If I’m wrong and there is no God, if Jesus isn’t the Way, Truth, and Life … I wouldn’t change a thing. My life has been full of hope, unexpected joy, impossible to understand peace, indescribable strength when I needed it most, and miraculous healing. I’m blessed. My life is…
It’s hard to think about the reality of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross. I’ll never forget the first time I watched The Passion of the Christ. I’d read Scripture and knew the story well but it was always easier to imagine the scene through cleaned up artwork and Sunday School drawings. I don’t…
One of our pastors recently asked us — “What do you think heaven will be like?” What do you think? There are a few things we know from Scripture about The New Heaven and the New Earth. He [Jesus] will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using…
I can’t even begin to tell you about the many nights I’ve spent with eyes wide open, worrying about everything. Rather than bore you with the details, I hope to bless you a truth I wish I’d not only learned but that I’d applied years ago. I was a chronic worrier which really isn’t surprising. Worry…
Do you ever go into your prayer time at a loss for words? I can remember times when I felt so overwhelmed by life that I didn’t know where to begin. I wanted to lean into the Lord in prayer but I just had no words. Since I thought there might be a possibility you…
And they lived happily ever after. You read the stories as a little girl. The ones that ended with the beautiful wedding and those six words that stuck in our hearts and filled our dreams. Walk down the aisle and your good to go. Right?! Maybe. Maybe not. Marriage is full of blessings but it also…
What do you do on those exhausted days when the last thing you want to do is deal with anyone? Nope, you just can’t people today! Most days are full of people. You have your family, they’re your HAVE TO people. Your coworkers. The people with whom you do ministry and the random people you…
Guilt. Everyone has it. We all have something, maybe multiple somethings, that makes us cringe and want to hide. I thought about putting a list of examples here but that then I decided it would be a distraction because all that really matters is … what’s on your list. I know what’s on my list….
