Doesn’t it seem like the space between “what was” and “what’s next” makes us uncomfortable? Maybe that’s the reason we fill every empty or quiet moment with noise and activity—a glance at our phone between conversations, checking email between appointments, aimless...
Show God’s goodness to others. This week, we head to Matthew 5:14-16. Matthew records the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus taught His followers what it looks like to live as part of God’s Kingdom. Jesus says we are like light in the darknessand salt to flavor food....
Mixed FeelingsAnd he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave...
Here’s a disturbing reality: we spend most of our lives indoors. We were meant for more than a plastic world with artificial light and re-breathed air. God can be found anywhere. But something special happens when we encounter God outside. Nature has the power to calm...
Show kindness to everyone. We start our month in Luke 10:25-37. When the religious leader questioned Jesus about the sorts of people we should love and show kindness to, He told the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan. With this story, Jesus completely changed how...
Who Is Really King?Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. Psalm 139:4 (NIV)Ifunction best when I am prepared. This isn’t a bad thing. In fact, my need to control the variables comes in handy for me and my family. We never run out of milk. I...
There is often enormous pressure to keep up with the non-stop noise and activity of our modern world. Jesus offers us an alternative to this frantic pace but following Him and resisting the pressure around us will require a simple act: kindness toward ourselves. Is...
Be patient with each other. In week four, we spend time discovering more about Proverbs 15:18. Waiting can be the worst! But something Solomon wrote in Proverbs can help us remember why patience is so important. A person with a bad temper stirs up conflict. But a...
Bearing With One AnotherBear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13 (NIV)Anyone who grew up with siblings knows those relationships can be complicated. I remember growing...
Our immediate access to people and information through the use of technology has become a prevailing cultural norm. What has become the normal daily consumption of input can have a numbing effect on our soul and lead to our faith gradually growing thinner and thinner...
You can help others make peace. In week three, we jump back to 1 Samuel 25:1-35, where we find a story about a woman named Abigail that starts with King David. He was furious with a man named Nabal, who mistreated his soldiers. David decided to get revenge until the...
A Supporting Role in a Perfect Plan"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)"She picked us!” exclaimed my then 4-year-old son as he leapt and twirled...
God paints on a large canvas. His creativity is seen in the grandeur of the mountains, in the wildflowers on a rolling hillside, in classic masterpieces in an art gallery, or in the curious expression on the face of a child. Beauty is all around us. But seeing it...
Choose joy no matter what’s going on. This week, we head to Acts 5:17-42. When Jesus’ disciples started sharing about His death and resurrection with others, they faced all sorts of trouble. Thankfully, they had Jesus’ Holy Spirit to help them find joy. ...
No Strings AttachedHe called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this...
So much about the pace of life conspires against us. We might even be convinced that the faster we go and the busier we become, the more we’ll get done. But what does that kind of toxicity do to our souls? Could it be that God invites us to find Him through a...
Love others because God loves you. We start our month in 1 John 4:9-13. John tells us exactly what real love looks like: God loved us enough to send Jesus to offer His life and make us complete. John goes on to say: Dear friends, since God loved us this much,...
Walking TogetherAnd let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)I started walking...
Resilience is such a powerful concept. Some of our greatest heroes and inspirational characters in stories are defined as people of resilience. But what does it look like to have a resilient faith? Spoiler alert... it doesn't mean that things are always going to go...
Keep going because of what Jesus did for you. We finish the month in Hebrews 12:1-3. Resilience might not be easy, but the author of Hebrews reminds us of something important: all sorts of people have gone before us. They give us an incredible example to follow of...
Stranger Friends You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:34 (ESV) A new commandment I give to you, that you love...