Dear God, I’ve been listening to your children share about their sorrows and struggles all week long. And my heart is heavy this morning because of that. There are those struggling with finances, with their wayward children, with physical ailments, with burnouts, with loneliness, etc. I, myself, am perhaps feeling the composite of their struggles […]

Good morning everyone, Isaiah 43:20-21-The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, 21 the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise! I believe it is crucial for every believer […]

– Our joy does not come from the absence of troubles. – Our joy comes from the presence of God in the midst of troubles. – What we want God to do for us is to subtract – subtract troubles, grief, hardships from our lives. – What God wants to do for us is to […]

Too often I see evidence of us being bound by our culture (as defined by the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group) versus being able to reject that which is just societal pressures and be able to separate and still celebate the goodness and benefits of our beautiful and […]

What do you get angry about? Or are you the type of person who never gets angry? I used to think that being a Christian means never getting angry. I thought anger was a sin, lack of self-control, and therefore when we get angry, we are sinning. But reading this morning’s passage (Ps. 10), I […]

It is so easy to lose joy, isn’t it! It could be someone you don’t even know cutting you off in traffic. Or a customer giving you an attitude. You boss making a snide comment. You spouse giving you the cold shoulders. Or just thinking about how pathetic our life is… How do we regain […]

Good morning everyone, 2 Corinthians 10:18-For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. Personally the older I get the more I believe that true courage has much more to do with what you confront in your heart first, rather than trying to show other […]

I’ve read many books and heard many sermons on problems with American churches and Christians – how we are on the decline and what we need to do to reverse it. I think the problem is rather simple. We are too rich! Mark 10:25 5 It is easier for a camel to go through the […]

Good morning everyone, 2 Corinthians 7:1-2-Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. Many times I think the term "be holy" brings with it many misconceptions as to what it really means between us and Christ. Holy […]

I like this contrast of the righteous versus the wicked made by Tim Keller: “The righteous disadvantage themselves for the community. The wicked disadvantage the community for themselves.” I found the basis for this thought on Ps 1 (I’ve finished the New Testament, and now I’m in the book of Psalms). It says that the […]