Learning to love others the way Jesus loves us
Habakkuk 1:12-2:20 But the Lord is in his holy temple; let the whole earth be silent in his presence. Habakkuk 2:20 The world has changed significantly since I first wrote through Habakkuk in 2020. You know what hasn't changed? The Lord God, Holy One (קָדוֹשׁ אֱלֹהִים יְהֹוָה), YaHWeH Elohim Kadosh (Habakkuk 1:12) never changes. In… Continue reading Revisiting Habakkuk, Part Two
I wrote a four-day reflection on the book of Habakkuk in January of 2020. I had just begun my second semester at UNLV. There were whispers of a strange new virus coming out of China, but no hint at how that news might unfold. Reports of anger, division, injustice, and violence dominated the nightly news.… Continue reading Revisiting Habakkuk
misunderstood verses #8 Remix by author Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the… Continue reading James 5:15
My daughter wrote a devotional study guide (affiliate links) Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.Philippians 4:8 Amazon link For the last several years my eldest daughter has been exploring her spiritual… Continue reading True and Lovely devotional
MISUNDERSTOOD VERSES #4 Upon first read, this one seems to promise that if parents check all the right boxes for raising happy, productive, and godly offspring, then by golly, it's a sure-fired guarantee that their adult children will be pillars of Christian society. No pressure. This verse turns into ammunition for judgement. Christian parent with… Continue reading Proverbs 22:6
Misunderstood verses #3 Misunderstood Have you heard this lately? It's popular with purveyors of the prosperity doctrine who teach that God wants everyone to be healthy, wealthy, and wise. Benjamin Franklin is the author of the aphorism "Early to bed, early to rise…" and he may have been a deist, but he didn't pretend to… Continue reading John 14:14
What do these verses really mean? We humans have a habit of manipulating facts to support what we believe or think. It happens on a daily basis lately--all over the news, social media, and in lively confrontations conversations with friends and acquaintances. It's bad enough when facts are cherry-picked to "prove" a position on social… Continue reading Misunderstood, misapplied, and misused
2 Thessalonians 2:13- 3:17 Times were hard for the Thessalonian believers. To their credit, they loved each other and continued to do good, in spite of their confusion about the Day of the Lord. Paul commended them for their commitment to the Truth, reminding them that the Holy Spirit was working in and through them… Continue reading The Lord is faithful
Ecclesiastes 4 starts off with Solomon's distress over oppression and his recognition that humanity would never see the end of it. He saw that power and envy are the root of all oppression. This got me thinking about social justice. It's become a buzzword in our culture with plenty of talk about it, but no… Continue reading Ecclesiastes 4
Defaulting to Grace 