No Shame in the Light
I discovered this verse earlier this year. Since then, it has become my call to arms. I often write about prayer, how the God who created the world wants to hear from us and answers when we call. Sometimes those answers are immediate, even as we are praying, like...
Lessons in Psalm 34
This Psalm contains many repetitive themes, to the point I made a table to outline them. My prayer is that others may learn from and enjoy this Psalm of David as much as I do. 1 I will praise the Lord at all times.I will constantly speak his praises.2 I will boast only...
Innocence of the Unborn
This week, a friend posted the latest in the Planned Parenthood scandal. This article has a video (I didn’t watch the video, but there is a graphic warning). However, the still image is clearly not a “lump of cells.” The Facebook preview of the article showed the still image,...
Lessons from Esther
Esther is the only book in the Bible that does not mention God by name, yet his providence is seen throughout these short ten chapters. The book takes place during the time of exile and the reign of Persia. The book opens with King Xerxes giving a feast. Everyone...
Walls in My Heart: Lessons from Nehemiah
Nehemiah and Ezra worked on the Temple and the city wall together. Their stories overlap yet present different information and points of view (like the four gospel accounts). In the past, I paid little attention to the return of the captives, skimming over the story in a rush to...
Lessons from the Book of Ezra
The book of Ezra opens with Cyrus releasing a portion of the remnant to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of God. He returns the items taken by King Nebuchadnezzar and offers the Israelites everything needed for the task. Soon, his edict is forgotten. Lesson 1: People forget...
The Power of Thunder
I enjoy watching lightning flashes and listening to thunderstorms. I marvel at the differences in storms between the flat plains of Texas, the mountains of Colorado, or the countryside of Germany. On occasion, I gazed over the horizon as a wall cloud formed, unable to look away. This seemed...
New Lenses, Better Vision
I wear contacts. Without them, my vision is blurry. I am nearsighted with astigmatism. Due to the move, Peter’s job change, and waiting on insurance, my last pair of lenses were getting a rather thick film on them. One or both may have had other imperfections as well, like...
Wait like a Watchman
Psalm 130 A song of ascents. 1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; 2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence,...
The Longest Psalm
In my NIV Study Bible, Psalm 119 takes up eight pages. In the original Hebrew, this Psalm is an alphabetic acrostic, with the verses of each stanza beginning with the same letter. It is believed to be written post-exile. The psalmist’s themes throughout include God’s goodness in spite of...