“’I’m about to go the way of all the earth,’ he said, ‘So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires of you.’” I Kings 2:2 NIV We have spent the last two weeks contemplating the advice King David, a man after God’s own heart, imparted to his…
Category: Obedience
Lessons From Tipper, Part III
“And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe He exists and that He rewards those who seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 NIV Tipper, heel. Tipper, sit. Tipper, drop. Good dog! Tipper, no! Our thirty-pound puppy will lie on the floor, eyes rolling up to watch our…
Lessons From Tipper, Part I: Choosing To Follow
How a nine-week-old puppy demonstrates how we are to follow God.
Words
“Lord, even before I speak a word, you know all about it.” Psalm 139:4 NIRV I read the words on the screen before me. They cut very deeply. I knew the judgment was not accurate but that didn’t quell the pain rising inside me. Anger flowed through my veins. But I knew my immediate…
Servant Leadership, Part V
“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:38 Jesus knew his God-given agenda: Be born miraculously of a virgin girl, experience humanity while living a sinless life, teach people about God, heal human bodies, human hearts, human lives. Then…
Servant Leadership, Part III
“I know that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe you sent me.” John 11:42 Have you ever hurt so much you just wanted to lash out, scream, and throw something until you expended your pain and were finally reduced to an…
Rejecting the Rat Race
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41 NIV Staring at the calendar, her heart sank. Every line was filled. She began reading. Dentist appointment. Music…
Day For Grace
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40 NIV I stumbled into the kitchen, weary from tending to a sick daughter most of the night before. Searching the cupboard I sleepily began the…
Shut In and Remembered
Genesis 8:1 “But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” It was January in Michigan, cold, dark, and stormy. The young foreigner felt the weather matched her disposition: cold, dark, and…
Teasures Revealed
“For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.” Luke 12:34 “What about my girls?” I asked. These were the first words out of my mouth after hearing of my cancer diagnosis. In the throws of a crisis, the first words spoken can reveal a heart. In my case, my family and friends…