At times my heart is pricked either by a scripture, a biblical worldview or a life experience. When that happens I write. Here you will find essays and devotions that highlight spiritual insights and musings.
Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath day and healed a woman. A synagogue during the time of Jesus was a place of worship, torah reading, prayer and community life. These houses of worship were not the Temple where sacrifices were made instead they were like houses which people gathered on … Continue reading The Synagogue Official (Luke 13:10)
A man in the crowd asks Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Instead of arbitrating, Jesus uses the moment to expose a deeper issue: not merely greed, but a profound lack of trust in God’s provision. Jesus warns, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life … Continue reading A Call to Trust (Luke 12:15)
It’s no secret that the Bible instructs us to love one another. This may be one of the most quoted and well-known teachings in all of Scripture. Perhaps that’s why Luke 12:1 caught my attention: “Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of the multitude had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, … Continue reading Stepping on One Another (Luke 12:1)
There is a quiet irony in prophetic utterance. Throughout history, God has spoken words to mankind and we call it prophecy, yet prophecy is not dependent on words alone. From the opening chapters of Genesis, God speaks creation into being—forming the world, life, and order through voice and sound. God chooses speech as a vessel … Continue reading Silent Witness (Luke 1:20)
The other night we visited a Catholic shrine decorated with Christmas lights, where people stroll and sip hot cocoa. At the center of the path stood a hill with a large cross, and beneath it a small cave holding a nativity scene.“Let’s go see baby Jesus,” I said to my husband. Mary knelt. Joseph leaned … Continue reading Losing Jesus (Luke 2:41)
Jesus is a King and has a throne and a home and a people and this is a kingdom, but is all this living inside of me? When we speak about the kingdom of heaven, we speak of Jesus himself.
we are tempted to only recognize God in blessings, rewards and happy times. We effortlessly attribute to him the pleasantries in life, but would prefer to deny that God says he comes in a thick cloud. If we confess that reality “ God is present in the suffering.” That means that we must be too
I think we have learned in our sensory saturated planet to rely much too heavily on feelings and experiences. God is present with us in ways that are entirely different than anyone or anything else in our life. God is present with you through his word and by his spirit.
When we talk about contending for our faith, we are talking about fighting a battle. In every battle we have to know who the enemies are, we must be fighting against the enemy; not God. We are fighting to stay with Jesus to believe what he says.
My Faith Place 