“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…
So here I sit with a cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee overlooking the Caribbean Sea at sunset. After 12 hours of continuous travel, a bit of relaxation seems in order. I’d tell you that it’s 81 degrees and I’ve already taken a dip in the ocean, but that might be unfair. I am happy to report that we have safely arrived in Jamaica, all twenty of us AND our stuff. Twenty ministry bags filled with much needed supplies. For the…
Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, O LORD our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this. Jeremiah 14:22 So we’re expecting rain on Thursday. Lots of it. It’s 9 PM on Wednesday and I’m on weather.comscanning the forecast hour by hour for the next 24. It starts out with “light rain,” transitions to “showers” then “rain,”…
The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever– do not abandon the works of your hands. Psalm 138:8 Someone once told me, “orderly desk, orderly mind.” …I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more discouraging saying. You should see my desk at this moment. Seriously, there are 17 half-started projects all over the place- covering the desk, floor, table, couch and counter. I’m even leaking out into the conference room with my stuff. It all has…
Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Psalm 146:1-2 The alarm goes off this morning louder than usual, the cheery drone of Mike Moss and WTOP cuts into my head like a buzz saw. What is wrong with that man? He must take happy pills to be so cheerful at this hour. Uuhh… stayed up too late again last…
Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. Psalm 125:1 Ah, the last midweek devotional of 2010. What to write, what to write…? The week between Christmas and New Year is always enjoyable to me. It feels like a seam or pause in the year; the middle space between what was (2010) and what will be (2011). Things here at the church slow down a bit, I get to enjoy the…
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son… Galatians 4:4 Ok, it’s crunch time; Wednesday afternoon and my personal to-do list is as clean and untouched as new-fallen snow. I’ve already rescheduled one appointment (sorry Andy!). More “adjustments” are coming. The hand-crafted gift baskets with homemade jams and ornaments that I wanted to give to the church staff will have to wait for another year. Why are the words “Christmas” and “rush” so often synonymous?…