Learning to love others the way Jesus loves us
"For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears; for a comforter is far from me" (Lamentations 1:16). "By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil" (Proverbs 16:6). When cities are destroyed, all the people who live there pay the price.… Continue reading Lamentations 1
Hope Las Vegas, 6-14-2020 On Sunday, Pastor Vance spoke powerfully about our need for hope. It resonated with me, especially as I had just returned to Atlanta and the continuing tumult there. Between the pandemic, social injustices, political divisions, economic uncertainty, and fear over the future, the prevailing emotion of the world is despondency. But… Continue reading Reflections on a Sunday sermon.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4… Continue reading an interlude for prayer
I have been broken by the events of 2020, and I feel like I need to take a short break from Psalm 119 to examine the most profound lament of the Old Testament in light of the current Church and culture in the US. Illuminated Scripture Journal cover. Crossway, 2001 I did some background reading… Continue reading Lamentations
Psalm 119:73-80 Teachers know that every student learns a little differently. Some like to take copious lecture notes, while others prefer a hands-on discovery approach. Some work best alone in a quiet room; others thrive in a vibrant group activity. No approach is wrong, which is why the best teachers employ a variety of learning… Continue reading YODH
Psalm 119: 65-72 What does it look like to keep the Lord's precepts with our whole heart? From this passage, I see three main qualities: 1. Know that God is good.2. Know that God does good.3. Recognize difficulties as opportunities. The Bible reminds readers over and over of the goodness of God. From creation to… Continue reading TETH
Psalm 119:49-56 For many of us COVID19 quarantines are beginning to lift. More people are out and about, some businesses are reopening, and churches are making plans to start modified gatherings for worship. For some people the reopening of society is a relief; for others it represents a new kind of uncertainty. The cultural narrative… Continue reading ZAYIN
Psalm 119:41-48 There is a clear and distinct connection between God's love and God's law; they co-exist. Our testimony as believers is rooted in how we both reconcile and live out both love and law. It's recursive: the law shows us our utter helplessness to be holy, His love provided our salvation, and our appropriate… Continue reading WAW
Psalm 119:1-8 The more we know God, the better equipped we are to authentically praise Him no matter what our circumstances may be. Life is hard sometimes. Life is challenging most of the time. The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 disrupted the whirlwind we reaped by sowing the wind of competition the last 90 years or… Continue reading ALEPH
James 5:13-20 This passage made me think. This section of the letter is where some current religions get the idea that prayer equals manipulating God for physical healing and that staying sick or continuing to suffer is the fault of the sufferer for a lack of faith. But this teaching is wrong. It is not… Continue reading Raised to life everlasting
Defaulting to Grace 