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Faith or Fear? Two opposites compete for space. Remember when we could go to a store and shop? Numerous choices stretched before us. Seersucker. Denim. Silk. We chose what to wear. Likewise, we make choices spiritually regarding what we wear. Social media and the news offer fear. Concern over the economy and disease. The new normal…

As we shelter in place, our neighborhood has filled with walkers, runners, and cyclists. Valor, our Belgian Mal, loves the extra walks he’s getting as we manage all of the indoor together time.  But what an opportunity! Check out this passage: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all…

 “If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also.” Luke 6:29 NIV This verse has always stumped me. Surely God expects me to defend myself. Right? Then, I received this insight.  Perhaps God is telling us not to turn our hearts away from those who wound us. (Disclaimer: I’m not speaking…

In Stevie Wonder’s song, he pledges loyalty to an old love. In spite of mistakes, he hopes she will take him back and he assures her he’s all in.  As believers, we need never fear our Love’s rejection. Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV says, “When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy…

Ephesians 1:4 NIV is one of my favorite verses, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” Read it again. Before the creation of the world—you were chosen.  God wants us to get this one: 2 Thess. 2:13 “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers…

Febreze questions consumers, “Have you gone nose blind?” Oblivious to foul odors because you’ve simply gotten used to them? I believe Christians suffer from ear blindness. John 10:2-5 NIV says:  The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep . . .  the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own…

Sunglasses. Whistle. The scent of coconut sunscreen. Lifeguards brought the ultimate cool factor when summer rolled around. They reigned over the local pool with an easy authority. Even as we winced at their whistle, we longed to be like them.  As believers, we serve as spiritual lifeguards, offering a buoy for those struggling to navigate…

What’s on your spiritual plate for 2020? Have you asked God what He’s cooking up for you this year? If you’ve never tried it, ask Him for a word, a verse, or a picture for the new year. Last year I received a verse. This year, a word: Worship. For me, worship connotes the presence…

The world is known for divisions: culture, education, socio-economic status, race, language, gender.  The early Church was marked by love—and oneness: All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their…

As the book of Exodus opens, the author drops his readers into a cauldron brewing with evil. The Israelites living in Egypt have been enslaved and Pharaoh has commanded his citizens to kill every Hebrew baby boy.  At stake is the life of Moses, the deliverer, and ultimately Christ, because if Israel is wiped out,…