“They went after false idols and became false…” 2 Kings 17:15a In the Book of Kings we read that God finally hands the land of Israel and its people into captivity to Assyria. In 2 Kings 17, there is a devastating description of why God, who loved Israel and rescued them from slavery, would finally […]

“Projections of strength can be heart rotting. Chasing things that aren’t life-giving leaves us feeling hollowed-out or empty.” I heard that this morning and it’s sooooo true. Aren’t we all big messes? The best lives are those covered by grace and a humble heart that knows how truly needy we are. I am so thankful […]

When you read the title, does it bother you at all? No one wants to be known as“ordinary.” I was recently on a road trip and one of the games we played on one of our 13 hour drives was the question game. It’s truth or dare with no dares. My friend asked me,“How would […]

Exodus 4:10-12 I can still remember my first time speaking in public. I had just returned from a missions trip and had the opportunity to speak in front of hundreds of youth students about my experience in Africa. And although I’d love to say I captivated the crowd, was super eloquent and had everyone cheering […]

The Bible constantly reminds us that we are to forgive our enemies. One powerful example of this occurs in the book of 1 Samuel when Saul is pursuing David in order to kill him. On one particular occasion, Saul is relieving himself in a cave and David can easily kill him. Instead, David makes himself […]

We’ve got the power! As human beings, we are all prone to be tempted. Sin comes knocking at the doors of our hearts insisting that we open the door for it to come in. Sin can be so tenaciously persistent (as in the cases of Cain in Genesis 4 and Mrs. Potiphar in Genesis 41) […]

What can we do to overflow with gratitude and joy? We need WHAT? We need it even though we don’t exactly know what it is. How do we get it? We go to God? How? Meditating on the Word as we meet with Him and ask Him for it and as we take communion and […]

Did you take time to think upon the “manna principle?” Do you think maybe this generation gets bored too quickly of gifts rather than enjoying them forever? A good gift of a spouse – is it easy to get critical, bitter and angry and forget to see them as gifts but become demanding and expectant? […]

Mark 4:26-29 As a child, I always grew up with older friends. Thus, I always wanted things immediately instead of waiting for them. At amusement parks, I wanted to go on certain rides but I wasn’t tall enough. Before I was a teenager, I wanted to watch PG-13 movies. As a freshman, I wanted to […]

During the Reformation, Martin Luther struggled with the question of the sacraments. Having been a Catholic monk, he had been trained to practice 7 sacraments, but as he studied scripture and developed his thinking about what the sacraments truly communicate he ended up only retaining 2 of the 7: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. But, […]