HEAVEN YOUR REAL HOME – Household Words:

Moving into the Promised Land. Numbers 34.

Painting: the Prayer at Valley Forge, by Arnold Friberg. “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Command the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries: … Your southern boundary will start in the east from the southern end of the Dead Sea, cross south ofContinue reading “Moving into the Promised Land. Numbers 34.”

Gratitude Will Make You Happy; Comparison Will Make You Unhappy. Jeremiah 45:3-5.

Some lives are harder than others. They just are. Nothing is “fair” and things do not even out. Most of us today live in an age of antibiotics and vaccines for childhood diseases. We have clean drinking water, pasteurized milk, and more food than we can eat. Many parents will never bury a child. ThoseContinue reading “Gratitude Will Make You Happy; Comparison Will Make You Unhappy. Jeremiah 45:3-5.”

HOPE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NO “QUALITY OF LIFE.” Ephesians 3:10.

Joni asks hard questions—What about the quadriplegic on a ventilator? What about that person who can communicate only by blinking? How do you respond to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis? What hope is left when disease has spread and pain is increasing? Why hang on? What about those who live their entire lives trapped inside bodies andContinue reading “HOPE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NO “QUALITY OF LIFE.” Ephesians 3:10.”

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART. Revelation 14:4-5.

Do you hear stories of those who have participated in every sin the world offers, then come to Jesus and seem to share the most exciting testimonies? Do you read about King David who—as if being king were not reward enough—also had 1,000 beautiful wives? (The Bible does not say all 1,000 were beautiful, butContinue reading “BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART. Revelation 14:4-5.”

WHY IS THE BIBLE FILLED WITH RICHES? Esther 1:4; Luke 11:31.

People are poor. Many struggle to feed their children. Yet the Bible—a story about God’s compassion for the least of these—is filled with tales of the greatest among us. We meet Egypt’s pharaohs. Then God’s kings: Saul, David, and Solomon. Solomon builds a temple covered in gold. The nation splits. Nineteen of history’s richest menContinue reading “WHY IS THE BIBLE FILLED WITH RICHES? Esther 1:4; Luke 11:31.”

The Death of King Josiah. 2 Kings 22:19-20.

Today I read about Josiah, the boy king. He was a hero, destroying idol worship and reviving the observance of Passover. When Josiah was 18, workers found the book of the law. It was read to the king, and he tore his clothes, realizing the nation had disobeyed God. But God was merciful: “Because yourContinue reading “The Death of King Josiah. 2 Kings 22:19-20.”

GOD CAN USE YOU IN YOUR FINAL DAYS. Isaiah 46:3-4.

In 2021, we moved my father into a memory care center because of Alzheimer’s disease. I found it difficult to watch him leave his home and his wife and move alone into the equivalent of a college dormitory—where he knew no one and, as independent as he was, would certainly be confused at first. ButContinue reading “GOD CAN USE YOU IN YOUR FINAL DAYS. Isaiah 46:3-4.”

God Can Use You in Your Final Days.

We recently moved my father into a memory care center because of Alzheimer’s disease. I found it difficult to watch him leave his home and his wife and move alone into the equivalent of a college dormitory—where he knows no one and, as independent as he is, will certainly be confused at first. But God’sContinue reading “God Can Use You in Your Final Days.”