You’ll be ok. Even if you stand alone…

The happy, blessed person does not do some things but does do other things. She does not—Walk in the counsel of the ungodly,Stand in the path of sinnersSit in the seat of the scornful. (Psalms 1:1) The happy person makes a conscious effort about who they hang out with, and who they allow to speakContinue reading “You’ll be ok. Even if you stand alone…”

Hard Times. Dark Places.

If your faith is built on only what you can see right now, or feel, or understand, it won’t get you very far. We will face things in this life that don’t make sense to us. Hard times.Dark places. But remember, Peter talked about the prophecy of scripture being as a light shining in aContinue reading “Hard Times. Dark Places.”

Those who truly love us will tell us the truth.

Paul is about to lay down the pen to the most famous of letters ever written. His powerful, God-inspired words will forever influence the theology of human hearts. His hard words have inspired and challenged the church for thousands of years. Through Paul, God has clearly explained the only way dead men miraculously find eternalContinue reading “Those who truly love us will tell us the truth.”

When hope seems hidden…

Those who are of the faith, sometimes feel hopeless. Sometimes,circumstances,are so very bad,we even despair of life. We don’t think we can go on. We might not tell our closest friend, but we have even wished we could die. And it’s not because we are feeling so spiritual, just hoping to be in Heaven, it’sContinue reading “When hope seems hidden…”

It’s not too hard for God.

Nothing is too hard for God (Luke 1:37). I think about my cousin. He’s a pastor. A while back we had sat together and talked about Jesus, the Word, and the world. His tattoo reads, “Finish Well.” It’s actually pretty miraculous that either of us ever even started this journey of faith. My cousin andContinue reading “It’s not too hard for God.”

How many HAIRS are on your HEAD?

How many hairs are on your head? How many do you wipe off your bathroom counters every day? It’s crazy to think just how many hairs fall from our heads every, single day, while others grow in. This makes Luke 12:7 even more special: “but the very hairs on your head are all numbered.” Numbered.GodContinue reading “How many HAIRS are on your HEAD?”

The wise fear God. Fools do not.

The crowds were thick when Jesus called them an evil generation who needed to repent instead of seek a sign. (Luke 11:29-32). He didn’t stop there but went on to caution them to make sure the light inside of them was not darkness. (Luke 11:33-36). Then, He called the Pharisee, who had invited him toContinue reading “The wise fear God. Fools do not.”

How to study the Word to find HOPE

(My tips are at the end) Nothing has changed my life more than God’s Word and a desire to know Him better through it. Peter tells us it is how we grow: “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word,Continue reading “How to study the Word to find HOPE”

It’s ALL TRUE! He is RISEN!

The ground shook.The angel appeared.The stone rolled away.The soldiers fell like dead men. The grave empty.Death defeated!The Way Made!Victory complete. JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND DEFEATED SIN AND DEATH! This changed everything! When Christians say, “He is Risen”, it’s not that we are saying Christianity is useful. We are saying that it is TRUE!Continue reading “It’s ALL TRUE! He is RISEN!”

Silence. And you don’t understand…

Silence. That day after the Savior had died. The pounding of the nails,the jeers of the crowd,His cries of pain. Now Silent. His body in the tomb. What now? They surely longed to hear His comforting voice. But Silence. They had left jobs, families, everything to follow Him. Now what? Silence. Nothing.But.Silence. Confused, afraid, everyContinue reading “Silence. And you don’t understand…”

Knowing Who He is and what He did…Isn’t Enough.

Those two criminals.Bleeding.Bruised.Guilty. In the Savior’s final moments, one criminal hung on each side of Him. Those two represent all of us. We are each likeoneor the otherof them. It’s no accident, this true picture. There they were.So close to Jesus.Can you imagine? They both knew who He was.But only one of them would beContinue reading “Knowing Who He is and what He did…Isn’t Enough.”

Good Friday. How could this be good?

The picture is horrific. Our eyes want to turn away. We know. We’ve heard the story. We’ve been told, it’s not about bunnies but about a bloody cross. That day, that Good Friday, that day that looked anything but “good” – that day everything changed. Early in the morning on the day Jesus would beContinue reading “Good Friday. How could this be good?”

Maundy Thursday

No Other Way THURSDAY The day before Jesus would die. The precious Messiah bends down to wash His disciple’s feet then takes the bread and the cup of Passover with the men in the upper room… knowing, full well, He would soon be their perfect Lamb. The Lamb. The Perfect Lamb… soon it would beContinue reading “Maundy Thursday”

He Waited on that Wednesday

Silent Wednesday. It’s what some scholars call this day of Holy Week. Jesus had spent Tuesday preaching and warning, being aggressively challenged by the religious leaders. But then there is Wednesday.Silent Wednesday. Waiting Wednesday. Jesus knew what was coming. He watched his friend, Judas, slip away to make a deal to betray him. Mary hadContinue reading “He Waited on that Wednesday”

Tuesday of Holy Week. All She Had.

Jesus spends most of Tuesday of Holy Week teaching and being questioned by the religious leaders in order that they might trap Him somehow. Were they jealous of His following? Did they feel threatened by the authority with which He taught? Or did they reason, if they could trip Him up, they might surely proveContinue reading “Tuesday of Holy Week. All She Had.”

Hope. But not in the way they were thinking.

I wonder about that morning after Jesus had rode in on the donkey, after the crowd had cheered and waved palm branches…I wonder, did He look around at His disciples? I wonder, as the disciples still celebrated over breakfast, did he wonder if they remembered what He had told them just a few days before?Continue reading “Hope. But not in the way they were thinking.”

Palm Sunday. It makes no sense.

With smiles on their faces and exuberant expectation, the crowds waved the palm branches shouting, “Hosanna” which literally means, “Save Please!” and then, just a while later, that same crowd would scream, “Crucify Him!” And we question, how could they so quickly change? How could they question the famous one, the Miracle Maker, who hadContinue reading “Palm Sunday. It makes no sense.”

A Sovereign Delay

I can only imagine the spiritual battle being waged in the heavenlies as Jesus headed toward Jerusalem and what we call the Triumphal Entry and Holy Week. Surely, the demons seethed and swarmed. And while we prepare our hearts to celebrate the fact that Satan and his minions were eternally defeated with the blood-bought, death-defeatingContinue reading “A Sovereign Delay”

After he came down out of that tree…

Before the Triumphal Entry and all that (we call) Easter week would bring, before the Parable of the Ten Minas (that we will discuss tomorrow), Jesus sees Zacchaeus up in that tree. If you grew up in church, you probably know that Sunday School song. If you’ve studied the passage, you probably remember Zacchaeus wasContinue reading “After he came down out of that tree…”