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Frankincense
Frankincense was used for incense in the Hebrew sacrificial and offering ceremonies, and it has a sweet smell.
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Morning Thoughts
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Accountability, A Timely Lesson from Culture and Jesus
Whatever our circumstances, the hope and will of the Father is that we would use the gift of the church and our community to go through this life together. If your world feels dark, you are always one step away from the light in Jesus Christ found in him and fellow believers carrying the torch, ready to the light the way for each other.
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A Call To Prayer
Praying is a lot like breathing. It provides the sustaining rhythms of dependency for life.
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Approaching Advent
This Sunday, November 29 marks the beginning of the 2020 Advent season. Advent is a four-week period of praying, perhaps fasting, reading scripture and anticipating our Lord’s birth on Christmas Day. Similar to Lent, it allows time and a sacred space in a busy season to contemplate the coming of Christ and the miracle of the incarnation. The church has always seen Advent as a period of waiting – an intentional observance that helps us avoid what Stanley Grenz calls our culture’s “drive through Christmas” attitude. We throw ourselves into the frenzy of preparations for Christmas, but often fail miserably in taking time to prepare our hearts for the Lord’s…
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Slowing Down
A cool breeze skips through the air. The sun says goodbye a little sooner. The grass beneath my feet slows its sprouting, inviting me to do the same. I’ve resisted the call for far too long. When the world shutdown earlier this year, and everyone talked about slowing down, I couldn’t figure out how. Life seemed to speed up within my four walls even as life shut down around us. My little ones needed more attention than ever as all their activities paused. My work intensified as my husband and I juggled Zoom meetings and endless interruptions. Even grocery shopping grew stressful as I scoured multiple online stores each week…
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Finding peace, joy, and contentment in the Son
Philippians 4:1–9 is part of the lectionary readings for the nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, which is October 11th. In this passage, Paul addressed his readers in Philippi with several endearing phrases. He called them his “brothers and sisters” (v. 1), as well as his “dear friends.” The apostle told the Philippians that he cared for them and desired to see them. He also described them as the source of his “joy.” Likewise, they were the basis for the eternal reward, or “crown,” he would one day receive in heaven for evangelizing the lost. Paul could have commanded his readers to “stand firm in the Lord.” Instead, the apostle encouraged the…
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God’s glorification and vindication of believers
Romans 8:26–39 is part of the lectionary readings for the eighth Sunday after Pentecost, which is July 26th. In 7:1–12, Paul described how sin (personified as a despotic power) used the Mosaic Law to arouse the desire for iniquity within people. When believers trusted in the Son, their relationship to the Law was severed. In turn, this undercut a major way sin exercised its unchallenged authority in their lives. Next, in verses 13–25, the apostle described what life dominated by the sinful nature looked like. He affirmed how easy it was for people to succumb to sin’s control. He also revealed that it was only through faith in the Son…
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Confronting Change with Courage
“ I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage --I have conquered the world..” John 16:33 (NET)
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Jesus, the One and Only Way
John 14:1–14 is part of the lectionary readings for the fifth Sunday of Easter, May 10th. The backdrop for this passage is the Savior’s final meal with His disciples before His crucifixion. During what is now called the Last Supper, Jesus demonstrated what it truly means to be a bondservant. Even though He was the Son of God (1:34, 49), He humbled Himself by washing the feet of His disciples. This act was so deferential that at first Peter refused to allow Jesus to wash this disciple’s feet. In response, Jesus told Peter and his peers that unless this was done, He could not accept them as one of His…
