Image: Erich Hartmann/Magnum Photos. From https://www.city-journal.org/article/with-meaning-for-all After decades of taking my Bible to church every Sunday, I found myself bringing only my phone. One reason is that I have surrounded myself with chronological Bibles, which are AMAZING to read, but difficult to use during a sermon because chronological Bibles are not printed in a predictableContinue reading “Memorial Stones. Deuteronomy 27.”
Category Archives: Claim God’s Promises: write them, memorize them, pray them
God Hears. Psalm 120:1.
Image: the square in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. “Marisela, listen to me. I understand that you left your homework at home. I get it. But I’m required to take points off for late assignments.” I was a first-year English teacher. Marisela was a sophomore in a border town. I had been hired to replace aContinue reading “God Hears. Psalm 120:1.”
Lullaby and Goodnight: What’s Your Bedtime Routine? Micah 2:1.
My childhood music minister Gerald B. Ray died at 92 recently and I was pleased to be able to attend the service celebrating his extraordinary life. His daughter Kristy shared that her father was in the habit of reciting the 23rd Psalm each night as he went to sleep. While he was in hospice care,Continue reading “Lullaby and Goodnight: What’s Your Bedtime Routine? Micah 2:1.”
The Captain of the Guard Comes for Jeremiah. Jeremiah 39:4-6.
Image. Corrie Ten Boom being released from Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. (This is a still from the 1975 film the HIDING PLACE starring Jeannette Clift as Corrie Ten Boom.) Jeremiah had reason to be scared. The pagan king Nebuchadnezzar had no regard for Jeremiah or Jeremiah’s God. The Captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s Guard “came … unto JerusalemContinue reading “The Captain of the Guard Comes for Jeremiah. Jeremiah 39:4-6.”
Replace Self-Affirmations with God’s Affirmations. Psalm 139.
Are you familiar with self-affirmation? Merriam-Webster defines SELF-AFFIRMATION as “the act of affirming one’s own worthiness and value as an individual.” An article[1] online reports real-life examples of celebrity self-affirmations: Lizzo says, “I started talking to my belly this year.” Every day she tells her belly the following: “You deserve all the space in theContinue reading “Replace Self-Affirmations with God’s Affirmations. Psalm 139.”
MEMORIZE: Replace Your Thoughts With God’s Thoughts! Jeremiah 15:16.
Imagine with me: You are an unhappy young person, low-key depressed. You think you are happy, maybe, at least while scrolling on your phone. But all you get on social media is ads and sales pitches from influencers and pointless videos of car crashes, street fighting, two kids dancing, concert clips, comedy clips, storytellers goingContinue reading “MEMORIZE: Replace Your Thoughts With God’s Thoughts! Jeremiah 15:16.”
Praise: Talk to God About His Greatness, Part 2 of 2. Job 19:25-27.
Suffering is a universal truth of life. Everyone suffers, whether rich or poor, powerful or weak. As Jesus said, “He … causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust” Matthew 5:45. Suffering does not become easier as you get older. When it hurts, it hurts! But handling suffering becomes easier—because with experience,Continue reading “Praise: Talk to God About His Greatness, Part 2 of 2. Job 19:25-27.”
God’s Calling Includes the Promise of God’s Provision. 1 Kings 17:3-4.
When God calls you, He will equip you. When God gives you a task, he will provide what you need to accomplish that task. When God called me to law school, he gave me a promise I could cling to. I needed the reassurance so often, I prayed these words nearly every day: “Faithful isContinue reading “God’s Calling Includes the Promise of God’s Provision. 1 Kings 17:3-4.”
David Wrote 72 Psalms: Claim God’s Promises. Psalms 4 – 16.
David is named as the author of seventy-two psalms, or nearly half of the book of Psalms. That is an impressive collection for a man as busy as he: shepherd, warrior, fugitive, king. And the idea that one of the manliest men in Israel was also a shepherd, composer, poet, and harpist is hard toContinue reading “David Wrote 72 Psalms: Claim God’s Promises. Psalms 4 – 16.”
Household Words: 