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How to Worship Extravagantly: The Woman with the Alabaster Jar
The alabaster jar of spikenard. An unusual gift. Precious. Costly. This was no bottle of cheap perfume. The pink-blossomed spikenard plant grew in India. Its fragrant oil, collected from the plant’s spikes, was valued so highly that one bottle cost a year’s wages. Scripture records several accounts of women bringing their oil-filled alabaster jars to…
Read More How Much More: Understanding God’s Love for You
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:11 NIV How much more! Can you see the look on Jesus’ face as He makes His case? Why do we struggle to believe Him? Or is it…
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How to Build a Family Altar and Why You Need One
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s…
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Holy Habits: How to Set Goals with God in Mind
I spent the end of December reviewing 2023’s goals and praying about 2024. Just as a morning quiet time with God sets the tone for the day, so fasting and prayer prepares me for the coming year. In James 4:15 NIV, James advised believers to set their goals with God in mind, “Instead, you ought…
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This Little Light of Mine: How to Shine
Christmas. The season of lights and a season where my light easily dims. My workload for December is proving intense, and that’s just work. The pressures of the season are enough to snuff out the brightest of lights. My friend Pam quipped that men believe in Santa because they woke up Christmas morning and everything…
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Thankfulness: Make It a Hard Habit to Break
Fall spices. I love them. The aroma of cinnamon throughout the house. The punch to the palate of ginger and cloves. The gritty texture of nutmeg and cardamom. When no one’s looking, I usually double their amounts in any recipe whether it’s pumpkin pie, gingerbread, or molasses cookies. And chai tea lattes? My favorite. Sprinkled…
Read More Unmanufactured Righteousness: How Not to DIY Good Deeds
“Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” Romans 10: 3 NIV [emphasis mine] How-tos. DIY. I love hands-on projects. I love learning new things. I love the discovery. I love the control. But when it comes to righteousness, God’s righteousness, all the effort in the…
Read More How to Endure Hardship Like a Soldier—Spiritually
“Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.” 2 Timothy 2:3-4 NIV Three days after graduating from college, our oldest left for the Navy’s boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois. When we saw him eight…
Read More How to Keep Dismay at Bay
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NIV Dismay. The word caught my eye as did God’s instructions through Isaiah, “do not be.” “Overwhelm” or “anxiety” may be more familiar…
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Correcting Faulty Perspectives: How to See Through God’s Lens
“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes.” Acts 9:17-18…
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