Learning to love others the way Jesus loves us
Affection Read Romans 12:3-18 Pray that the Lord will open your mind and heart to hear His voice. How can we show affection to one another in a culture that thrives on division? No one will argue that the last three years have made people unified, bonded, and more committed to loving when the contrary… Continue reading Beloved: Reflection 2
What does it mean to be beloved? How do we respond to being beloved? Love Read 1 John 4:7-21 Pray that the Lord will open your mind and heart to hear His voice. What does it mean to be loved by God and how does that love affect the way we treat others? The old… Continue reading Beloved: a five-part reflection, Reflection one
Sometimes the most direct path is not a straight line #inspiredbyasermon Mark 7:31-37 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged him… Continue reading Of circuitous routes and cleansing sighs
Why congregations need to show grace to their leaders. Satan and his demons will do anything to silence the Church. When external persecution is impractical for whatever reason, they exploit human frailties within individual churches. Leaders, especially pastors and priests, find themselves in complex moral, social, and cultural battles on a regular basis. The Church… Continue reading Show yourself beautiful
The God who worked wonders in the past is faithful to keep His promises still (Psalm 77:14; Psalm 86:15). To say we live in troubling times is an understatement. Every day some new catastrophe floods the news cycles: natural disasters, crime, social issues, education, politics, and uncertainty about the economy threaten our personal well-being and… Continue reading Faithful through the Ages
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
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. That sounds so good, doesn't it? Living in this crazy world, where evil seems to prevail, we want to believe that hope for a future of peace and good well-being is… Continue reading Jeremiah 29:11
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. "I can do hard things" is the current cultural parallel to this verse and is the meaning many cultural Christians intend when they call on it as inspiration to achieve something. But Paul was not advocating that believers be like the "Little Train that Could," approaching… Continue reading Philippians 4:13
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
Defaulting to Grace 