24:1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were … Continue reading A Quiet Celebration: He Is Risen
Confession isn't primarily about focusing on how awful I am or how badly I've blown it. It's about grace and forgiveness.
Last week I asked what vision of “the good life” was driving our words and actions. While culture tells us one thing, Jesus’ words tell us something different. If we let them, they’ll turn our cultural expectations of what blessing looks like upside down. The money, power, and social acceptance that we so frequently associate … Continue reading God’s Vision of “The Good Life”
When we get up in the morning, what is motivating our choices? Jamie Smith suggests that our vision of “the good life” is a key driver. But how do we envision “the good life”? What do we think will make us happy? Fulfilled? Our culture provides all kinds of answers: being young; being skinny; having … Continue reading What Really Drives Our Poor Choices?
While Psalm 1:1-2 describes the things that the "happy" or "blessed" person does and doesn't do, verse 3 offers a beautiful metaphor for this person: That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,which yields its fruit in seasonand whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.Psalm 1:3 NIV Father, Your word teaches … Continue reading Praying Scripture – 1/15/2020
Psalm 1 paints the portrait of two paths that we can choose from: to delight in God's instruction or to walk in the way of the wicked. The "law of the Lord" can also be translated as the "instruction of YHWH," which I prefer for two reasons. First, culturally we bring certain expectations to the … Continue reading Praying Scripture – 1/8/2020
As we start this New Year I can think of no prayer that I would rather pray than the high priestly blessing. Not only does it serve as my prayer for each of you today, but in her book Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters Carmen Imes has talked about the fact that this … Continue reading Praying Scripture – 1/1/2020
Thank you so much for joining me this year! As we get ready to start a New Year I took a look back at this year's most popular posts. If you're relatively new to my blog, here are a few "old favorites" that keep getting visitors: My Son Needed the Love of the Church. I … Continue reading The 5 Most Popular Posts of 2019
This week in the U.S. we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. While it can serve as a much needed reminder to be thankful, sometimes it just serves as an opportunity to get together, eat way too much food, and (if you're so inclined) watch parades and football. God calls us to much more, though. He calls … Continue reading Praying Scripture – 11/27/2019
It is only in our weakness that we can “go from strength to strength,” because it is about God’s strength, not our own.
Life Beyond #Blessed 