Replace bad habits with good ones‘O God...guide me on the road to eternal life.’ Psalm 139:23-24 MSGAny habit you keep feeding will only strengthen its grip on your life. Ask a recovering alcoholic – they only change when they ‘hit bottom’. Prodigals don’t come home until they’ve lost everything (see Luke 15:32). But that doesn’t have to be your story, for your Father is waiting to welcome you bac...  Read More

Do what pleases God‘Do what is right.’ Psalm 4:5 NCVDay after day Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph, but he said no. He gave her no time, no attention, no chitchat, and no reason for hope. ‘He did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her’ (Genesis 39:10 NKJV). When she called, he didn’t answer the phone. When she texted, he didn’t text back. When she showed up, he ‘fled and ran outside...  Read More

Does anyone else get frustrated when their prayers don’t get immediately answered?Me too.My prayers are desperate when I’m starting over because I don’t want to repeat the pain of the past and I don’t want to deal with any more regret in the future. I long for God to move powerfully in this present moment as I begin again.Truthfully, I’m coming to God with an ASAP attitude - “God, please give me w...  Read More

Ten years ago, my wife and I took a trip for our anniversary. The cute little bed and breakfast we stayed in offered us a free wine-tasting card. As young parents of a toddler, we stretched every bit out of that free card!At one particular winery, we were offered a tour with a brilliant and patient guide. I asked him a zillion questions and gained tremendous insight into the significance of what J...  Read More

Ezra 7:6-10This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all he requested because the hand of the Lord his God was upon him.  Some of the sons of Israel and some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxer...  Read More

We all have preferences.My wife prefers her food not to touch, especially at holiday meals. However, I figure since it’s all going to be together in my body, what difference does the stuffing touching the turkey make?!The challenge of preferences often leads us to consider certain items as black-and-white, or this-or-that propositions when the truth has more nuance and tension to it.As a pastor, I...  Read More

When it comes to starting over, what is your biggest struggle today?Is it letting go of the past?Is it having hope for the future?Is it beating yourself up in the present?One of the reasons I wrote this devotional plan was I’ve struggled to start over in my life. Right now, I’m thinking of several occasions when I needed to begin again and move forward but I remained stuck for weeks and months. In...  Read More

Starting over isn’t easy, huh?Sometimes, I struggle with starting over because I have a ton of regret and grief over what happened in the past. I wonder if I’ll be able to escape the pain.Other times, I’m so excited to get beyond something hard and start over. I’m secretly hoping that the future isn’t as frustrating as the past. “Please, God, make what’s next better!”Yet, on some occasions, I’m sa...  Read More

The Final WordEverything has a conclusion, including the instructions Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 6 concerning how to pray. There is always a final word. In this case, the final word is really the final word. Though this sentence is not in every ancient manuscript, it is in many, and its' message is the consistent theme throughout the Bible. It is not only the final word of this that we kn...  Read More

The Problem We FaceThe Bible is a book that deals very openly and honestly with reality. If a hero of the faith has a bad day, the Bible doesn't try to hide it. Abraham lies, David commits adultery, and Peter denies Christ; it's all there. As Jesus teaches us how to pray, the reality demonstrated by these examples is addressed. Jesus says that temptation is real and evil, or more specifically, the...  Read More

Ezra 6:14-16 And the elders of the Jews were successful in building through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.  This temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.  And...  Read More

The Provision We NeedOne of the names for God in the Old Testament is "Jehovah Jireh." The meaning of this name is "The God who provides." What a glorious name for God this is! The scope of this name is as large and diverse as our needs may be. God is not simply a God who provides in one area of life, but He is the God who provides, whatever the market may be.This is a foundational truth for how w...  Read More