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Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV If this verse gives you flashes of life in a monastery, relax. That said, one of the best practical examples of this verse was a seventeenth-century Carmelite monk named Brother Lawrence. He wrote the book, The Practice of the Presence of God.  Let’s explore some insights into the verse above: 1)…

“Be joyful always.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16 NIV Joy. My intersections with this word tend to occur around December when Christmas carols move joy to the forefront. The rest of the year, my melancholy personality fights to find it. However, a recent writing project brought some joyful discoveries: Joy is commanded. “Be joyful always” is a command,…

Light. The older I get, the more I need. Whether I’m driving to a new place at night, reading small print on the back of a can, or digging a splinter out of my foot, I need light for direction, clarity, and exposure.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus previewed His departure and the…

Salt. It perks up my French fries, chlorinates my pool, and boosts my Gatorade when the Texas heat and humidity make my sweat glands run like faucets.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus affirmed the need for salt (and the Church) as flavor, fertilizer, and preservative. “You are the salt of the earth. But…

My husband Russell and I plan to hike Half-Dome in Yosemite in the fall. We walk each weekend to prepare for the fourteen-mile hike. God calls us to walk with Him too. Stories spill from the pages of Scripture of those who did—and didn’t—walk with Him.  Here are a few tips for walking together: 1.…

COVID-19 has brought a host of challenges. Can God—has God—hidden treasure in the chaos? Isolation. Disruption. A shift to online everything. Financial and employment changes. Lots of family time for some or, in the case of our locked-down senior adults, no time at all. Treasure? Ecclesiastes 5:19 says, “when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the…

“with your blood you purchased for God    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,    and they will reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10 NIV I’m a fan of the Enneagram—an ancient personality profile with nine distinct types. While the Enneagram has helped me understand…

How much is enough? Advertisers create demand for a product or service—and often, that serves us well.  But other times, it can feed the flesh.  Proverbs 30:15-16 reads,  “The leech has two daughters.    ‘Give! Give!’ they cry. “There are three things that are never satisfied,    four that never say, ‘Enough!’:      the grave, the barren womb,    land, which is never satisfied…

Psalm 81 begins with miracles of God’s deliverance and ends with more He longed to do—except.  Except He couldn’t. Verses 11-12 tell us why, “But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.” God surrendered Israel to…

My husband and I love sports stories, stories where, in spite of great obstacles, the athlete triumphs. Netflix is full of them. However, in Deuteronomy, we find the opposite: great deeds met with distrust and rejection.  “In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 1:32 NIV “This” is the list of miracles God…