Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4, ESV A few years ago, one of my teenage sons had emergency spinal surgery to remove a lemon-sized tumor, that mercifully ended up…
I watched her take the stage—poised and confident—though I knew she was fighting butterflies inside. She stood before the judges, ready to defend her senior thesis, the culmination of her high school years. And as I sat there, holding back tears, I couldn’t help but think of where it all began. It felt like just…
The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV Seek Out Silence One summer, I found my soul in a depleted state. We’d moved to a new town…
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. John 12:3 NIV From Nearness to Extravagant Worship At the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry, Mary and Martha invited Jesus…
When You said, “Seek My face [in prayer, require My presence as your greatest need],” my heart said to You, “Your face, O LORD, I will seek [on the authority of Your word].” Psalm 27:8 AMP Could it be that our restlessness and lack of satisfaction in life is a result of our disobedience to…
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 NKJV I’ve struggled with being so distracted during my quiet times with God lately. There has been so much going on in the…
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.”Proverbs 16:3 NIV We were in the middle of talking through a big decision, something I really wanted for our family. And then my husband said something that stopped me. “You want this, and it’s an admirable thing. But it would add more…
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. John 15:9–10 ESV A Traditional Irish Blessing May peace and plenty bless your world With a joy that long endures. And…
He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. Galatians 3:14 NIV A deeply close relationship with God, one in which you enjoy His withness and are sustained by His strength, is something the enemy…
When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became daylong groans. The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up. Psalm 32:3–4 MSG Don’t Grow Cold I was in a counseling session with my long-trusted therapist. Some might call it an emergency therapy session. I’d emailed her a desperate message after something…
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4:18 NKJV Her life on earth was ending. Despite our multiple attempts to gently correct the legalistic, merit-driven faith of her childhood, this woman we loved rejected the idea that salvation was found by grace alone. Instead, she clung to the idea that she needed to earn her way to heaven….
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13, NRSVUE Hope Holds Us What do you have in your in-between space? A mustard seed of faith among an overgrown tangle of doubts or fears?…
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. John 20:1, NIV The First to See Mary blinks away tears as they approach the garden. She cannot see anything besides the image of her…
What was holy week like for Jesus? I wonder. We celebrate Holy Week—decorations, party dresses, family reunions, plans for a special egg hunt or Easter play. We might observe the seriousness of Maundy Thursday or Good Friday, but overall, this is a week of joy culminating in Easter services. How Did He Feel? But how…
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 NIV “Do I belong?” We might not say it out loud, but we feel it. We feel it in…
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