Our Very Present Help God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 We will be changing the clocks back again in a few weeks. The days are getting shorter and colder. The leaves are changing color. Soon the forecast may include the dreaded...
It’s one thing for you to evaluate your own spiritual progress. It’s another thing altogether to have Jesus give His critique of how you’re doing. Sometimes the truth hurts. If Jesus were to write a letter to you about what He thinks of your devotion to Him, what...
Use your gifts to help others.In week three, we head to Acts 16:13-15. We look at a moment from one of Paul’s travels where we meet a woman named Lydia. Lydia had a unique skill: the art of making clothing with purple dye. This set her apart and gave her standing...
Entertaining Angels Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Hebrews 13:2 hen I was a child, my mother would collect coins wherever she could find them - between couch...
Knowing Jesus changes how you see yourself.In week two, we turn to Matthew 9:9-13 and discover an essential moment from Matthew’s life. As a tax collector, Matthew would have been shunned by Jews and Romans alike. He was seen as a traitor to the Jews. Matthew must...
Despite our romanticism about the early church, they had their fair share of problems - favoritism, theological arguments, and divisions (to name a few). Yet there remained a vision of an abundant church - full of energy, unity, and life. While the church today...
Hidden in the Heart I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. Psalm 119:16 ome claim that we remember only ten to twenty percent of what we read or hear. Others debate that estimate, saying it isn’t that simple. Numerous...
In our first week of October, we start at the beginning—literally. In Genesis 1:26-28, we read that when God created people, God did something special. We reflect God’s image to the world. This doesn’t mean that we physically look like God. Instead, we demonstrate...
A believer's identity is in Christ. In Him we find true life, meaning, and purpose. Yet, it is common for believers to take their eyes off of Jesus and begin substituting other things in His place. We look for other ways to identify ourselves often choosing how we...
Suffering with Joy You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. I Thessalonians 1:6 My cancer journey took me to some extreme lows. I remember sitting on my back porch...
It shouldn’t surprise us that through the centuries, superstitions arise and thrive even among well-meaning church people. Most of these superstitions are based on a desire for a kind of good luck charm in a life filled with uncertainty and hardship. Even the practice...
Look for ways to celebrate what God has done. In our final week, we head to Nehemiah 3–4, 6:15-16, and 8:1-17 and read that God helped Nehemiah and the people finish the wall in only 52 days! They celebrated what God had done for them, not only during those 52 days...
Lessons From a Hummingbird As summer is ending with the cooler breezes and colorful leaves approaching, I will miss seeing the regular presence of hummingbirds in my garden. And I will miss the daily reminders about transformation and rest. Therefore, if anyone is in...
It is great to gather as the church. But we are also told by Jesus to “go” as the church, sharing God’s word with others and making them disciples. Fulfilling the Great Commission is not an option or a suggestion. It is a command to each of us as believers to actively...
In week three, we see how Nehemiah deals with some distractions in Nehemiah 2:19-20, 4, and 6. Not everyone liked what Nehemiah was doing. He had enemies who tried to get the people distracted from finishing the wall. But he sees through their plan and focused on the...
A Better Plan What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him. I Corinthians 2:9 ugust 7th, 2021 was the day I had been dreaming about since I was a little girl. My family, fiancé and...
While God never changes in His nature, He does change the way He works with human beings. Jesus announced a significant change when He held up a cup and identified it with His blood that would establish a new covenant. After being raised from the dead, Jesus told His...
Look for ways to make things right. In week two, we see a different part of Nehemiah’s story. In Nehemiah 5:1-12, we discover that while everyone was building the wall, an issue arose. Someof the Israelites were severally mistreating each other. Even though Nehemiah...
Always Knock For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:8 fter years of online teaching, I recently returned to the classroom at Carroll Community College. I love night...
The church can be described as a body, a family, an army. It’s a movement of influence—one that seeks to bring glory to God and point people toward the Savior. On the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested, He initiated the movement with a meal. He chose food and drink...