Surely……This word rings out loud and clear for me from the 23rd Psalm. And there is more: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” But it is the word surely that has resonated with me over the last […]
When we move, we pack up and then unpack our stuff, choosing to keep what is still useful to us and giving away or selling what no longer works for us. Whether we are moving to a bigger place or downsizing, we choose to move with what suits our new life. The same is true […]
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, honor those who mistreat you.” That quote is from Luke 6. Matthew 5 puts it this way: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” And he goes […]
I’ve been researching fear in my Bible concordance and here is what I have found. First there are many passages in the Old Testament that speak of the fear of God. The Hebrew word used in most of these passages, yare, means two things: to be afraid or frightened and to honor, respect, awe, […]
I’ve just finished reading two classic 20th century Christian books, Discovering the Depths by William Clemmons and The Testament of Devotion by Thomas Kelly. I feel like I have been swimming in the depths of Christian life. I have read some 15 books written about living a deeper Christian life this spring, but these two […]
Here are six steps that will lead to a deeper relationship with God, to your own healing of all the pain and suffering you have experienced, to your own transformation to the person you were created to be by stripping away all the cultural “stuff” that was laid on us in our growing-up years, […]
We Christians assume that teaching our children about Jesus and the Bible will prepare them for a Christian life. That’s a great foundation, but we must also teach our teens and young adults how to go about building a deep relationship with God, so that they will walk hand-in-hand with God throughout their lives. Adopting […]
Dear Lord, For the first time I am beginning to connect the dots of your presence in my life. I started this process a few years back when I did my spiritual autobiography with a women’s group. Then I could see you hand helping, guiding me at various pivotal points in my life. But just […]
Imagine that you’ve been restless and traveling your whole life and finally you’ve decided to head home. When you arrive and start to settle in, the first task is to unpack all the stuff you’ve carried with you and to decide what you will do with it. And with each item you decide that […]
To face and embrace ourselves is the only way that we can bring our whole selves to God in love, as Jesus commanded.[Matthew 22:36-40] This passage means to come to God naked, hiding nothing, totally open to him. There are no longer any walls in us that would protect our guilt and shame from ourselves […]