Isaiah 53:5 (NLT) 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. So this is Easter. Bunny, candy, the bi annual schlepping to church for many. Celebrating the ultimate show of love. Beaten so we could […]
Read more "Good Friday? No. Incomprehensibly Blessed Friday? Yes. Isaiah 53:5"Psalm 34:8 (NLT) 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Psalm 46:1 (NLT) 1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Two years ago about a few hours earlier from this 5:30 AM time, our daughter […]
Read more "Peace be with you in all times. Psalm 34:8"Malachi 4:2 (NLT) 2 “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. Mark 10:28 (NLT) 28 Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said. […]
Read more "On such subtle nuances does our eternity rest. Malachi 4:2"Jeremiah 32:17 (NLT) 17 “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! Job 1:21 (NLT) 21 He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and […]
Read more "As we approach a new year and beyond… Jeremiah 32:17 (NLT)"Psalm 42:11 (NLT) 11 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again — my Savior and my God! Because he delivers. He delivers out of selfless love and all we have to do is turn to him. Isaiah 9:6 (NLT) 6 […]
Read more "Merry Christmas! All we have to do is turn to him. Psalm 42:11"John 8:32 (NLT) 32 “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Freedom. It was something that I never knew and am just now beginning to know. It’s the freedom of my soul. I may be trapped by the riches of the west in many ways, but my soul is […]
Read more "Slowly crawling to freedom John 8:32"1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT) 16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Why be thankful? Seriously. At the jail last night we met with two guys. You might think two guys? Big deal. It was really, because […]
Read more "Life in Prison 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18"Psalm 16:11 (ESV) 11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) 11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Romans 8:11 (NLT) 11 The Spirit of God, […]
Read more "Enough said Psalm 16:11"Galatians 5:14-23 (NIV) 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the […]
Read more "And the like Galatians 5:14-23"Luke 11:9-10 (NIV) “9 ‘So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.’”Mark 7:17-23 (MSG) […]
Read more "Either/Or Luke 11:9-10 Mark 7:17-23"1 John 1:9-10 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is […]
Read more "1 John 1:9-10 Galatians 5:22-23 Come home to the good life"Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” “But I’ve heard the tender whisper Of love in the dead of night.” Lyrics from Good Good Father composed by Pat Barret and Tony Brown I’ve heard that tender whisper of love. Have you? I have […]
Read more "Proverbs 18:10 In the dead of life"Ephesians 1:7-10 “7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, […]
Read more "Ephesians 1:7-10 Promises, promises…"Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith is the… conviction of things not seen. None of us are faithless. We can’t see how we got here – how the universe came into being – but we have faith that is was created. Whether believer […]
Read more "Hebrews 11:1 Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah."Luke 9:11-17 “11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. 12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and […]
Read more "Luke 9:11-17 Psalms 22:26-28 Musta been a food coma that made me do it. Or maybe not."Isaiah 40:3 “3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord ; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” I used to think this was pointing to God being an alien and that when his ship landed, well it’d need a runway. Hmm, a spaceship traveling […]
Read more "Isaiah 40:3 God don’t need no stinkin’ runway."Psalms 94:19 “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” At the jail last night one of the guys in the room said he just loved sticking a needle in his arm. Another guy talked about what brought him “joy” and it wasn’t about living in God’s word. Came home to an […]
Read more "Psalms 94:19 Letting in a little Sonlight into our lives"2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? Romans 8:38 – 39 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 […]
Read more "2 Corinthians 6-14 Romans 8:38-39 Heard a good yoke joke lately?"Proverbs 15:16 “Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.” Isaiah 33:22 “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.” The Lord sets the rules and is our judge. It’s better to live in […]
Read more "Proverbs 15-16 Isaiah 33:22 Who is this guy?"1 Peter 5:8 – 10 “8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And […]
Read more "1 Peter 5:8-10 Wimoweh, wimoweh, wimoweh, wimoweh"Jeremiah 29:11 “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.” There are times when I just don’t get God and what he’s doing. I don’t understand the physical pain in my life (arthritic ankles), […]
Read more "Jeremiah 29:11 Endearing pain ensuring joy"Romans 8:6-8 “6The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” We’d like to think that we control […]
Read more "Romans 8:6-8 Mind control"Transforming brokenness to joy 1 John 4:13 “This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.” He has given us his spirit. How intense is that? A God of pure love, who came and sacrificed himself for us so that we might live, […]
Read more "1 John 4:13"I am a Christian, expect me to act like one. Always. Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” What is doing good? What is good? Can you think of anything that eminates from God that isn’t […]
Read more "Galatians 6:9"The path leads somewhere. Psalms 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” The path. We know what the path is, but do we know what life is? Can we have life outside of the path? Pilgrim’s […]
Read more "Psalms 16:11"Laws matter Romans 8:6 “6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” We have laws for a reason – without them there are no constraints and things get ugly in a heartbeat. Ever wonder why things go south? Could it be that we […]
Read more "Romans 8:6"“I am who I am” Popeye Mark 8:29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” John 7:38 “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Who do you think I am? Whoever believes in Christ. Living […]
Read more "Mark 8:29 John 7:38"Why we’re to walk the walk Luke 12:48 “48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Walk the […]
Read more "Luke 12:48"Out of this world John 17:13-14 “13 I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not […]
Read more "John 17:13-14"Forgiveness 1 John 2:12 “I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.” Very simply put, right there, not to be denied, fact: we are forgiven. Turn your life over to Christ, accept him as your savior, believe he died for your sins, your sins are […]
Read more "1 John 2:12"A life of service Galatians 6:7-9 “7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing […]
Read more "Galatians 6:7-9"Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Why do we even have false prophets? We have an awesome God who is pure love, perfect love, who loves us perfectly. So why is there hate, why are there false prophets spreading lies and […]
Read more "Matthew 7:15"1 John 4:20 “4 If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” The heart of it all, the winnowing stick, the litmus test, the no room for discussion, the […]
Read more "1 John 4:20"Titus 3:4-7 “4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus […]
Read more "Titus 3:4-7"“24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us–even eternal life.” How many times do we get caught up in the lies the world constantly throws our way – […]
Read more "1 John 2:24-25"