Isaiah 53:4-6 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But ...  Read More

John 17:1-5 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.  This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I glorified You on the earth...  Read More

How many days a week do you feel like life is just too complicated? Even if it isn't, it does not take us long to make things complicated. Human beings just have this ability to ramp up everything to the next level.I once tried to plan a simple party...I was going to invite two couples who we are close to, grill hot dogs and hamburgers, and just sit around and hang out. Sounds good, right?Well, in...  Read More

A Tool That Builds Tools is Go'’s Purpose for Your Church.Depending on your job or what you are trying to accomplish, most of us need tools to get the job done.As a nurse, I fill my pockets each morning with the tools I'll need throughout the day:  pens, sticky note pads, pen light, scissors, keys, etc.  When I worked in a different type of nursing position, my pockets were filled with somewhat di...  Read More

The Message of Christ takes a glorious turn from mankind's inability to reflect the image of God with the offer of unconditional love.  The Bible is the love story of God’s revelation of Himself in pursuit of wayward humanity.  This pursuit reaches its climax with the gift of God the Son, Jesus Christ. Luke 15:11-24 A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the sh...  Read More

Nahum 2:1-131  The one who scatters has come up against you. Man the fortress, watch the road; Strengthen your back, summon all your strength.2  For the LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob Like the splendor of Israel, Even though devastators have devastated them And destroyed their vine branches.3  The shields of his mighty men are colored red, The warriors are dressed in scarlet, The chariots...  Read More

A couple of years ago, I did something interesting. As the year began, I made a resolution to be thankful every single day of the year. I have to say the results were amazing!You see, gratitude changes our perspective and outlook on life. It’s impossible to be thankful and negative at the same time!Psalm 100:4 says, Enter His gates with a song of thanksgiving and His courts with praise....When we ...  Read More

My girls will roll their eyes when they hear me say “Be a helper, not a hinderer” {I’m not sure if this is even a word}.  This phrase is one I’ve used for years.  Somehow, I can usually tie this saying into whatever situation we are discussing.  It just seems to apply to almost any issue…at least it does in my mind. The common definitions for these words are: Helper:  a person who helps someone el...  Read More

My grandmother gave me a beautiful marble table after Mrs. Kim and I married.  It was around four feet in diameter with a solid cherry stand.  This table was in her home all my life.  I knew it was valuable but there was also a deeper worth to me because it belong to her. Fast-forward 10 years to life with kids.  During a birthday party, Robert Connor decided that the table would be a good sitting...  Read More

Nahum 1:12a-15 Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no longer.  So now, I will break his yoke bar from upon you, And I will tear off your shackles.  The LORD has issued a command concerning you: "Your name will no longer be perpetuated. I will cut off idol and image From the house of your gods. I will prepare your grave, For you are contemptible.  Behold, on the mountains the feet of hi...  Read More

Dear Fear,I only refer to you as “dear” because of our long‑term, intimate relationship, and certainly not because you are dear to me in any way. In fact, you have been a tormenting influence from start to finish. You have told me lies and prevented me from doing the things I wanted to do and should have done.You are indeed a miserable, wretched companion and one that I no longer am willing to be ...  Read More

Today’s world has many things to be fearful of.  Death, sickness, violence, catastrophes, uncertain times (how often have you heard this phrase lately?), and many more. In Moses’ time, there were some of the same fears.  When Moses was called by God, he was afraid to take on a leadership role (Exodus 3:11, Exodus 4:1).  Moses ultimately had faith in God and God had Moses lead His people out of Egy...  Read More