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. Jeremiah 29:11 I know that for many in our church family this verse and the entire passage in which it is found is an all-time favorite. How comforting and freeing it is to know that we rest in the loving hands of God and that his intentions towards us are good….
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7 With father’s day approaching, I was reflecting on the importance of dads to our families and recalled this story from 10 years ago. When Amanda was three her favorite way of greeting Steve when he came home from work was to yell, “Catch me Daddy!” and then fling herself from the top of six steps into his arms. Since he…
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:12 Yesterday and today have to be two of the hottest days on record for this time of year. It’s like a sauna out there. As soon as you set foot outside the door the heat and humidity hit you like a sledge hammer. The weather bug station at Cedar Point Elementary School is reading 96.3 degrees…
How awesome is the LORD Most High… He chose our inheritance for us. Psalm 47:2 & 4 . In Carl Sandburg’s Pulitzer Prize winning biography, Abe Lincoln Grows Up, he tells the story of a young Abe Lincoln growing up in a humble cabin in Pigeon Creek, Indiana (pictured above). Although Abe’s father was originally a prosperous and wealthy landowner, through a series of financial reversals, the family found themselves starting over in rural south Indiana. By the time Abe…
My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6 “You don’t know what you don’t know.” So said Pastor John to me a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t said in a mean or condescending way. I don’t even remember the situation. As a matter of fact, I don’t think he directed the comment to me, but it’s stuck. John has a way of slipping witty little proverbs into conversation every now and then. Have you ever noticed that?…
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 I’m wondering how many of you will be getting up at 4 AM on Friday to view the start of network coverage of the royal wedding live from Westminster Abbey? It is the wedding of the century, you know… The hype is…
“But she, out of her poverty, put in everything she had…”‘ Mark 12:44 On a book shelf in my office I have a really cool book called “A Harmony of the Four Gospels.” Now you may be thinking that a ‘gospel harmony’ must be some kind of songbook, maybe for a southern gospel or blue grass quartet. Not exactly… Actually, gospel harmonies have been around for thousands of years. The first one was called the Diatesseron and was compiled in…
Luke 19:30-31 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’ I love Palm Sunday. It’s probably the traditionalist in me, but I love singing songs of celebration, I love the children’s choir and the little children shyly waving palms up and down…
The LORD is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 “I’m scared.” We’ve been hearing more of that recently from our 8 year old adopted daughter, Katelyn. There are monsters at bedtime and she’s afraid of bugs and snakes. Snakes? We don’t have snakes. Yes, Justin saw a snake once, but that was 5 years ago and it was a garter snake…
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in…