We all know times when we have felt like being in a cold, moldy, dark tunnel. It feels that in that place in time there is no way out. But “hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don’t give up.” (Anne Lamott) You don’t give up and you cling to the promises of the Bible….
How would your life be different if you would dare to “live as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning, and is coming back tomorrow “(Martin Luther)? This question has been staying with me for quite a long time now. We are all called to rethink our life with Jesus Christ. Are we fully following him? Would you be ready to state like Jack Hyles “I’d rather die in the will of God than to live outside of it”? Paul…
At church this Sunday our family was waiting for our turn to kneel to receive communion/blessing. When there finally was room for us our 3-year old daughter said very enthusiastically “Yippee!” It made us smile but got me thinking about our attitude towards God’s amazing gifts. Do we run to Jesus? Do we shout “Yippee” when there’s room at the Lord’s Table? Are we excited about recieving God’s blessings? The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them….
The Bible stories of John the Baptist have astonished me ever since I was a child. I’ve come to admire John the Baptist for several reasons. How he was called before he was born, how he did powerful, bold but humble ministry, and how his head was brutally cut and offered on a platter. I’ve always felt that John the Baptist was an example how we should serve God. John was chosen for his ministry before he was born. He…
Here’s a glass window picture of Jesus praying at Gethsemane. Read John 17 (MSG) and be amazed by Jesus’ mighty prayer!! This weekend God has been teaching me about praying before starting to work. I learned that there is no point to start working before praying hard. There is no point to start working until I’ve prayed until praise flows from my lips. When praise has overtaken my soul, I am ready to do God’s work. Then it is not…
Jesus is calling you and me to be his followers:“Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? (Luke 9:23-26, MSG) Jesus has…
The only requirement for becoming a Christian is to be a sinner! What? Yes, only sinners need a savior. So, a sign at a church could be “Sinners wanted, Inquire within”. Basically, all of us, whether insiders or outsiders, start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners. Scripture leaves no doubt about it: There’s nobody living right, not even one, nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God. They’ve all taken…
Here are my reflections based on Luke 22:63-23:12, MSG. It is pretty tough to read this text. It feels bad to see how terribly Jesus was treated. It feels bad to think that we are capable to do such horrible things. It feels bad to think that we would turn our backs to Jesus wanting his death when it would be for our benefit to do against God’s will. This Bible story illustrates, however, that God’s will will happen no…
It’s Melodic Monday! Today’s song is Shane and Shane‘s Breath of God. (Music by Shane Barnard & Caleb Carruth, lyrics by Shane Barnard.) This song is perfect for the Holy Week. Here are the lyrics: A life you cannot defineA purpose thats benignThey need to see and believeBe led to the rugged treeThe one on which he cried not for his pain but for our debtThe very same tree that He conquered deathIt was an unfair deal on the part…
God, God…my God! Why did you dump me miles from nowhere?Doubled up with pain, I call to God all the day long. No answer. Nothing.I keep at it all night, tossing and turning. And you! Are you indifferent, above it all, leaning back on the cushions of Israel’s praise?We know you were there for our parents: they cried for your help and you gave it; they trusted and lived a good life. And here I am, a nothing—an earthworm, something…
