In John 17, our groom, Jesus, prayed for His bride, the people of God, the church. He prayed this prayer right before He was arrested…
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God graciously gives us pictures in His Word that help us understand this interdependent living grounded in the truth that He calls us to. We begin to see how He uses this ultimately for His glory but also for our good. Truth and relationships…
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Yesterday we talked about being built as living stones into a holy temple, a dwelling where God lives by His Spirit. In chapter 4 of Ephesians, Paul describes this…
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In both of these passages, we read that we as “living stones” are being built – it’s a present, continuous process. In a culture of instant gratification, we envision the finished product, a beautiful temple. Yet the Scripture…
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You who were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. That is good news! No longer are we foreigners without hope and without God but citizens of His kingdom. It is here that His promises, His provision,
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On October 3rd, 2017, waves came for our family when our son, Clary, a freshman at Clemson University, was in a serious car accident. In God’s providence, the circumstances of the accident took him down a ravine to the edge…
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I wish I could attend the Bible studies taught by this week’s Guest Writer, Paula Miles. I first heard Paula speak at a women’s conference. Her passion.…
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Today’s Treasure is one of my favorite Scriptures. When there are no other answers, there is the promise of His presence and He wants us to trust that His presence…
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On an ordinary day in August, our son went for a routine sinus Cat-scan; that same day we learned that my father-in-law would need open heart surgery. My husband flew off to be with his parents. Shortly after 2 p.m., my mother-in-law…
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Four days after our son’s first MRI, we sat in an exam room, waiting to meet the neurosurgeon who would perform his brain surgery. As the …
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On the first day of August, I had jotted a note in my prayer journal under our son’s name: “humility and gratitude.” It’s not that he isn’t generally a humble and grateful twenty-two-year-old—but really, what twenty-two-year-old couldn’t stand to grow in this area? Or what fifty-two-year-old couldn’t grow a little more, for that matter?
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One day, in the waiting room of my Dad’s oncologist, I happened to sit next to an (annoying) angel. The very word angel in the Greek indicates a messenger…
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As I waited in a dimly-lit hospital hallway for our son to finish his first MRI—the one that followed the incidental discovery of a “something” on his brain, my mind turned to the first question from the Heidelberg Catechism…
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Every one of us has or will experience medical waiting rooms throughout our lives. These challenging moments that can stretch into hours, days and sometimes…
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September 1st is looming. At 8 AM those registered and those registering will gather to begin an event. Money will be raised for…
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The pastor’s words rang from the pulpit. Each word pronounced distinctly and clearly.
“We live our lives as if it’s all about me, it’s all about me”. What does that mean? What does that look like?
Zephaniah prophesied during the reform of King Josiah who brought spiritual revival to Judah after a long reign of evil. He pronounced God’s judgment on corruption but also talked about God’s plans to lovingly restore Judah…
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My mother informed me one day as she was telling stories about my childhood, “Your kindergarten teacher tirelessly encouraged you to rework your project in a different direction. When you felt you had made a mistake, not doing what you had planned to do…
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It is 3 AM right now. I cannot sleep. I toss and turn and silently pray, “dear Lord please clear my thoughts and let me fall back to sleep”. It doesn’t work. I tiptoe…
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As I write this, my multiple sclerosis is causing some balance difficulties. My doctors are working with me to figure things out. MS is as unique as its victims are unique. Necessary to “figuring things out”, is waiting. There is a lot of trial and error…
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