In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, and the virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to [Mary] and said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God!” Luke 1:26-27, 30 Fear is perhaps our most primal emotion. In small doses it can be very helpful- alerting us to potential danger and suggesting a course…
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”- which means, “God with us.” Matthew 1:22-23 Every year as a family we try to read through the Christmas story from beginning to end in the month of December. My intent is to take a little time here and there- after meals, before bedtime, once a week…
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. ~ Psalm 37:7-8 Two men sit in rush hour traffic. Each in their own car. It’s 7:15AM and the beltway has been reduced to creeping along at 5 miles per hour. It would have been a great day to try out those new toll express lanes, but…
“It is not good … to be hasty and miss the way.” Proverbs 19:2 Life in Northern Virginia happens at an insane pace. You see evidence of it all around you. I don’t often have to commute on I-66. But on the occasions that I do (usually in stop and go traffic), I see people texting, putting on makeup, reading the newspaper, eating breakfast, talking on their Bluetooth devices, and listening to the radio; all while they are supposed to…
“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” Proverbs 12:1 Gotta love those proverbs. They don’t mince words. You hate correction and you’re stupid. Well, meet stupid! As I was reading this proverb this morning, the Spirit of God brought to my mind three specific incidents this week in which faithful friends lovingly confronted me with a fault, failing or weakness. Three! And it’s only Wednesday! Now, I don’t think these friends will even remember…
1 Chronicles 22:7-10 David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. But this word of the LORD came to me… ‘You are not to build a house for my Name… But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest… He is the one who will build a house for my Name… and I will establish the throne of…
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…. (Romans 12:2) Ever wonder why when you get into a really great novel, a favorite hobby or a good movie it seems like you lose track of time? As unfocused and distractible as most of us are, once we really get into something, it seems like our house could burn down around our ears without us even noticing! Natalie Phillips, an English professor at Michigan…
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me…” Jeremiah 9:23-24 Let him who boasts boast in the LORD. 1 Corinthians 1:31 My Boast So, are you tired of the election cycle yet? Every night, it seems, without fail at the dinner hour we get one…
Isaiah 45:9 Does the clay say to the potter, “What are you making?” We have this running joke at the office about… well, me. Actually there are several, but let me share one of them- I occasionally have difficultly leaving the office just one time. I gather up my things to leave for the day and walk out the door. And then as I’m making my way out to my car, or starting my car, or driving out of the…
Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:2 (ESV) “Steve, come over here, I want to talk with you.” My boss pulled me off the line and we took a ‘little walk.’ And so started a talk I would never forget. It was the summer of 1981 and I was in eighth grade. All through middle school and high school, I worked at a small commercial greenhouse that sold wholesale flowers to a local…