How Much Longer?!?!?

When Pharoah let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, ‘If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt’ Exodus 13:17 I have been told it could have been a ten-day journey at the most, leaving Egypt and heading to the Promised Land.  But it ended up taking 40 years. The only reason I can see is that their thinking had to change and it took a very long time for that to happen. Their minds needed to be renewed to … Continue reading How Much Longer?!?!?

In The Presence of My Enemies

“Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies”. Psalm 23: 5 I have wondered what good food would do for me in the presence of my enemies. Am I going to pelt my enemies with spaghetti and meatballs?  Do I poke their eyes out with bread sticks? This part of Psalm 23 didn’t really make sense to me and I would ordinarily skim right past. But recently, I saw this verse differently. The table He has prepared is laden with everything I have inherited through Christ – every spiritual blessing, every physical blessing, every weapon I … Continue reading In The Presence of My Enemies

Sorry Not Today

You know that God anointed Jesus from Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Jesus went everywhere and did good things, such as healing everyone who was under the devil’s power. Jesus did these things because God was with him. Acts 10:38 I’ve looked. I can’t find it. Nowhere in the Bible, to my knowledge, does Jesus tell someone, “Sorry, not today.”  Nowhere do I see Him turning away someone who needed healing and saying sorry, I can’t help you today. What I do read is that He went everywhere healing and doing good things and setting people free … Continue reading Sorry Not Today

God’s Best Gift

If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? Romans 8:32 Jesus – what do you think of when you hear that name? A good teacher? – a revolutionary? – a prophet? –  a great leader? Maybe what comes to mind is stories from Sunday School – the miracles He performed like feeding 5000 people with a few loaves of bread, or causing the lame to walk or the blind to … Continue reading God’s Best Gift

God’s Prescription for Healing

…and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. II Chronicles 7:14 I realize in this passage that God is talking to an entire people group and not an individual.  However, I believe there are some things we can take from this and apply personally.  I see this as God’s prescription for healing and it has four steps. First, recognize that we are called by His name, we are His. Second, … Continue reading God’s Prescription for Healing

Setting Things Right

Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Matthew 9:35 Jesus confused people. I think it’s safe to say as much. Everywhere He walked, He left behind people scratching their heads and wondering about this man who was the carpenter’s son. He came preaching a message quite different from what people anticipated, even those who were well versed in the writings of the Old Testament prophets. He healed the sick on the Sabbath, and He delivered people from the torment of Satan, … Continue reading Setting Things Right

Do What You Can Captain

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. Ephesians 6:13  Message Bible Years ago, we had a family reunion at a beach house on Galveston Island.  My nephew and niece were about 6 years old and they were standing looking out over the Gulf of Mexico … Continue reading Do What You Can Captain

How’s Your Appetite?

 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Psalm 119:97 I planned what I thought would be a wonderful summer project for the kids I work with – composting with worms.  My great idea was that they could recycle leftovers from their lunches by feeding it to the worms and by summer’s end they would see the beautiful compost the worms made of it. I made two assumptions that proved to be wrong. 1.     Not all kids like to handle worms.  In fact, out of 25 kids, I could only get two or three to … Continue reading How’s Your Appetite?

The Me Jesus Loves

One disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, was near him at the table. John 13:23 Five times in the gospel of John, written by John, John is referred to as the disciple that Jesus loved or the beloved disciple. John is not described this way in the other three gospel accounts. I find this endearing. John grasped something that the others seemed to have missed, something that perhaps, we miss also. While other disciples were professing their undying love and loyalty, John was basking in the love that Jesus had for him. Maybe John described himself this way because he … Continue reading The Me Jesus Loves

No Healing Too Difficult for God

“I am the Lord. I am the God of all people. Is anything too difficult for me?” Jeremiah 32:27 Some years back in our homeschool journey, we studied Mohs Hardness Scale. This scale is used to identify mineral specimens by comparing their hardness to the ten minerals on the scale. Talc is the least hard with diamonds being the hardest and knife-blades and fingernails and copper pennies and other minerals falling somewhere in between. A scale like this apparently works for mineral identification but it made me realize that I have a tendency to put God’s ability to perform a … Continue reading No Healing Too Difficult for God