The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
Peace, Be Still
Shortly after ordaining and empowering His twelve disciples, Jesus was traveling near and across the Sea of Galilee. At each stop, crowds quickly gathered to see Him, hear Him, and observe His miracles. However, on a trip across the sea to Gadara, He performed the only miracle recorded in the Gospel of Mark that does not involve healing, demonic deliverance, or raising from the dead. The miracle in Mark 4:35- 41, in the middle of a list…..
The Lord is My Shepherd
I had not thought about Psalm 23 for some time, until I recently found I needed its comfort.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,…..
God’s Strength Made Perfect in My Weakness
“Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.” Psalm 55:1-3
Recently my prayer has been similar to this one. Only it is not human voices that…..
Out of the Mouth of Babies, Part 2
In Luke 18:15-17, Jesus talked about letting the little children come to Him:
“And they brought unto Him also infants, that He would touch them. But when His disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto Him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive…..
Out of the Mouth of Babies, Part 1
“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD and the fruit of the womb is His reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth.” Psalm 127:3-4
During the past few weeks I have been preparing a packet for each of my children comprised of his/her baby book and health/school records that I still had in storage. I finally found the box when we…..
Jesus Only
Philippians 2:5-11 expresses the heart of Jesus behind His incarnation, life, death, burial and resurrection:
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became…..
The Part of Faith in the Miracles of Jesus
When Jesus commissioned His twelve disciples to go preach the kingdom of heaven to the Hebrews, His instructions included “…Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give” (Matt.10:8). In Matthew 8 and 9 He had shown them these miracles and then He enabled them with the power to also do these miracles at the beginning of chapter 10. Mark 6:13 tells…..
Before the Cross: Comfort and Final Instructions From Jesus
Before He was arrested and taken to the High Priest to be tried, to Pilate to be convicted, to Golgotha to be crucified, and to a borrowed tomb to be resurrected, Jesus met with His disciples one last time to encourage them and to give them final instructions. His talk to His disciples took place after celebrating the Passover at supper in an upper room. While many passages in the…..
Doing It God’s Way
Isaiah 55:6-9 records a prophetic call to repentance and return to God: “Seek ye the LORD while He may be found. Call ye upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake His way and the unrighteous man His thoughts. And let him return unto the LORD and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways,…..
Lessons From Behind the Shopping Cart
Shopping has recently become a challenge. Extensive empty shelves loom large in most stores, a phenomenon we in America are not used to. Driving around on less crowded streets is nice, but waiting in long lines to get into a lot of stores early enough in the day to find toilet paper still in stock violates our sense of efficient use of our time. But then, in the middle of social distancing and non-essential…..
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