Praising God in Advance Restores Your Faith and Brings Peace
I remember that night so well. Swatting unwelcome mosquitoes, I knelt and prayed in the African hospital next to my 18-month-old daughter’s crib. Bethany was sick, very sick. The doctors at the hospital felt baffled and unsure of what to do next. I felt panicked and uncertain prayer would help. Steve felt anxious and unconvinced…
Read MoreWhat Do We Know and Have because of the Ascension of Jesus?
“Depths of purpose and layers of meaning saturate everything you do.” Psalm 92:5 Everything that Jesus did was intentional. His every word and action either conveyed a vital message or achieved a strategic objective. The triumphal entry was loaded with meaning. The crucifixion was beyond purposeful. The resurrection changes everything! But what about the ascension…
Read MoreAct Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly with God
I (Becky) had the opportunity to speak to a group of civic leaders. In that message, I referenced Micah 6:8 where the prophet answers the question, “What does the Lord require?” The Lord wants leaders to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Let’s lean into that a bit and see what that…
Read More4 Injections of Hope from Psalm 99
Psalm 99 is loaded with good news. As I was reading it this morning and praying for you, my readers, I realized that tucked in this worship song are four injections of hope! Are you ready? You might write them down as reminders for this new week! The LORD Reigns (Psalm 99:1). It might feel like…
Read MoreRemember Who You Are and What Your Calling Is
The other day I overheard a conversation between my 5-year-old grandson, Noah, and his Mama. Noah said, “Everett’s mom says, ‘Talk to me like I’m the Queen!’” Ah, that’s solid wisdom right there! In our world of harsh and caustic words, it can be easy to internalize the words of others and allow them to…
Read MoreThe Spiritual Discipline of Waiting
Waiting is one of the most difficult of all the spiritual disciplines. In our hurried, driven, fast-paced culture we have lost the art of waiting well. If there’s a long line at Target, we move over to self-checkout. If there’s a long line at the Starbucks drive-through, we sigh and wonder if we should run…
Read More3 Promises You Can Trust God to Keep
One day we had a bunch of our grandkids over. In the morning I had told my little granddaughter, Tori, that we would bake brownies – but as the day progressed, I forgot all about my promise. Later near dinner time, Tori’s older sister, Rayna, reminded me. I realized it was too late to make…
Read MoreThe Wisdom of Withdrawing
One of the most profound verses in the gospels to me personally is Luke 5:16, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” I find it so intriguing that the physician Luke was the one who made this observation. The demands of Jesus’ ministry were great. Everyone wanted a piece of Him. If you’re…
Read MoreThe Top 10 Perils of Pastoring
It’s a wonderful privilege to be a pastor. It’s fulfilling to craft and deliver messages. It’s fun to build teams and reach goals. It’s rewarding to share in life’s most meaningful moments with the parishioners that the Lord has placed in our care. But as life-giving as ministry can be… it’s also fraught with peril.…
Read More3 Promises Jesus Gives for the Transitions of Life
Transitions can be challenging and confusing, but they provide an opportunity for deepened faith. The transition following the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus felt confusing for the disciples. The women saw the empty tomb and Peter and John ran and saw the empty tomb (John 20:1-10), but we know that they were confused about what…
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