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From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: "God forbid, Lord! This must not happen to you!" But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are… Read More

For Pastor Dave, with gratitude And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:5-7, NET I don't care. This sentence brings to my lively mind a clear picture of a stubborn… Read More

For the love of Christ controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ died for all; therefore all have died. 2 Corinthians 5:14, NET For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead. (KJV) The little Greek word synechō transcends every language with universal meaning.  We are living in an age when it is more critical than ever to define our terms.… Read More

  Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the LORD’s doing. Our wishes are of no concern.” Genesis 24:50 Oh, to have such faith, such desire for God’s will that our wishes are of no concern! These hearts of ours sure do have lots of wishes. And when they concern those we love, our vocation, our identity, we are especially specific in our wishes. Abraham was no different. He was growing old, and his son… Read More

  But you, LORD, are a shield that protects me; you are my glory and the one who restores me. Psalm 3:3   You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5  My prayers have been compartmentalized for so many years. Jesus, heal me. Father, protect me. Holy Spirit, help me. The realization is dawning in my soul like a sunrise that I am encircled. I am surrounded… Read More

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: extortionists, unrighteous people, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’ The tax collector, however, stood far off and would not even look up to heaven,… Read More

  My God with his lovingkindness will meet me (ASV). The God who loves me will help me (NET). Psalm 59:10 My work requires extensive travel. Sometimes, I arrive at my destination expected, prepared for, and cared for, while other times, I am on my own. Being expected, prepared for, and cared for makes a big difference. Sometimes it’s critical to know someone is waiting for me. One time I flew from Egypt to Kenya… Read More

He shoulders responsibility and is called the Wonderful Adviser. Isaiah 9:6, NET Three books shaped my early childhood: the Bible my great-grandmother gave me the Christmas I was seven years old, my mother’s girlhood copy of Little Women, and my grandfather’s thick and heavy Webster’s Dictionary. I read them all until the pages grew soft like velvet. The word responsibility inspired me long before I knew I was an Enneagram 1 or that Achiever and… Read More

The LORD’s Spirit will rest on him — a Spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, a Spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, a Spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the LORD. Isaiah 11:2, NET According to Worldometer, as I write this there are 8,194,837,950 and speedily counting human souls on earth. As the population increases, it decreases simultaneously, and the world spins around on her careful axial tilt of between 22.1 and 24.5 degrees.… Read More

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 There was simply no place for them. Luke the physician-turned-Jesus-follower has shown us all we need to know in a mere handful of words. Writers call this writing tight. The tale of how Jesus came to be born in a stable is… Read More