Memorial Week 2023
Honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms Honoring Tim Keller who went to be with Jesus on May 19th, 2023 I'm taking a one-week break this ...
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The Jesus Who Surprises (DVD)
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Idol Lies (Audiobook)
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Idol Lies (Paperback)
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Idol Lies (DVD)
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The God of All Comfort
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The Jesus Who Surprises (Audiobook)
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The Jesus Who Surprises
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He Calls You Beautiful
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Aslan Medium Canvas Print (Unframed) – 18″ x 22″ (Currently Out of Stock)
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Aslan Unframed Medium Print – 18 x 22"
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Aslan Poster (Unframed) – 13 x 19"
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Aslan Small Print (Unframed) – 13 x 11"
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Proverbs & Parables
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Building Your House on the Lord
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1, 2, 3 John: How Should a Christian Live?
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#6 Abba, Father (The Beloved)
Many of you already know that Tim Keller died Friday morning. How he was like a father to so many, including many here. Michael, his son, shared this: He was ...
# 5 Abba, Father (Mother’s Day!)
We will return to a final week with both Brennan Manning's Abba's Child and also the final for this series next week. But because Mother's Day landed in the midst, I thought ...
#4 Abba, Father (Abba’s Child – Part A.)
Another classic we cannot miss is Abba's Child. My own copy is heavily highlighted and we will spend two weeks here, and still only scratch the surface. Until we understand ...
#3 Abba, Father (Father Wounds)
I purchased this book after Paige Benton Brown recommended it, and I'm so glad! McClung's insights based on ministering in three cultures provide valuable insights into Scripture. We will see ...
#2 Abba, Father (Prodigal God)
When Tim Keller first preached on the parable of the two prodigal sons, his wife said "This is the most important sermon you have ever preached." Why? It is a ...
#1 Abba, Father (New Series!)
I am realizing how profoundly an individual is impacted by either a missing parent or an abusive parent. Studies show you may be driven (instead of called), prone to addiction, ...
HE IS RISEN!
HE IS RISEN INDEED! This is a week to reflect on the amazing evidence of our faith. We'll consider 4 post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. The first is to Mary Magdalene ...
#3 To The Cross (Holy Week)
It's the holiest week of the year, a time to contemplate Jesus' sufferings for us. We will finish Reeve's message and walk those final hours with Him to the cross. ...
#2 To The Cross
A Tale of Two Cities “The whole Bible,” the Scottish preacher Eric Alexander says, “is in a very real sense a tale of two cities.” Babylon first appeared in Genesis ...
# 1 Toward the Cross
As we head toward Good Friday, we will ponder again the depth of His love so that we can be overcomers in both suffering and sin. He set His face ...
Jude with Paige
Although written nearly two thousand years ago, how relevant is Jude! False teaching still abounds inside the church. Paige tells how when she was ten, her older brother got her ...
#7 James with Paige
This was my favorite of Paige's messages in James, for it so touched my heart, and was so relevant to my life, and to my relationship with my local church ...
# 6 James with Paige
Meward = Worldliness & Sorrow Godward = Godliness & Joy Each day we have choices between living meward or Godward. In The Missing Piece Lee Ezell tells of vascillating between ...
# 5 James with Paige
In addition to doing this study with you on the blog, I'm doing it with a group of new Christians. (I've questioned my judgment since, as James can be so ...
# 4 James with Paige
Oh, the power of the tongue! Like a little rudder can steer a whole ship, or a tiny bit, a whole horse, so the tongue steers our whole life! ...
Paige cancelled this week
Just continue with last week's questions -- it is such a good teaching, they left it up so you can listen again or tell friends about it. And Lord willing, ...
# 3 James with Paige
Revival Through Truth! I remember how amazed I was the first time I really saw what Paige taught so powerfully this week. It was from a Tim Keller sermon on The ...
# 2 James with Paige
Paige's teaching this week on James 1:19-2:13 reminds me of what Tim Keller said about the fruit of the Spirit, those qualities that flow into our life because of our ...
# 1 James with Paige
Let me say right off the bat, this probably won't be as winsome as many of the Old Testament studies we've done with Paige in the past, but it is ...
Fresh start! (2023)
A Brand New Year, A Fresh Start! Yet, we may have already blown it, or if we understand anything of the holiness of God, we know we will before the ...
Merry Christmas! (And more good news!)
It's so rare for Christmas to fall on Sunday -- but it's perfect. This week I'm taking a break and will simply let you come on and share your reflections, ...
Prince of Peace (Slow down…)
Christmas is a week away. I don't want to add to your stress but help you be still and know He is God, taking ten minutes at the start of ...
Everlasting Father!
We are spending Advent on one of Isaiah's prophesies: Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and his name shall be called: It isn't hard ...
Mighty God
Puritan Preachers often gave messages on "The Magnificence of Christ," but modern preachers rarely if ever do. It is such a loss, for as John Piper says, "Beholding is becoming." ...
Wonderful Counselor
It is a wonderful time of year, but especially when we are experiencing the presence of the One who is called Wonderful! How I look forward to Advent with you, my precious ...
21 Days of Thanksgiving
We're going to have fun this final week Thanksgiving week! For most of us, Thanksgiving occurs close to the time of autumn splendor, filling our hearts with awe. That is ...
2: 21 Days of Thanksgiving (Psalm 42)
We've been here before, not just because it's my favorite psalm, but because it is SO HELPFUL when life is hard that we must keep returning to it. How do ...
21 Days of Thanksgiving (Ps. 8)
With the help of God's prayer book, The Psalms, we are going to help one another give thanks for the next 21 days, ending on Thanksgiving Day. (I will return ...
8 Sight (2 Kings 6:8-23)
It's Paige's last lecture in the Elijah/Elisha series, and I (and others I've talked to) agree it is the best! She's calling her last 3 teachings "wordel studies." Faith, Grace, ...
7 Naaman & Elisha
Isn't it amazing that the Bible, though written over many centuries, by many authors, from many countries, and many cultures, is still all ONE GREAT STORY from Genesis to Revelation? ...
6 Progress of Faith
Moving from: to: What can make that happen? DESPERATION! Why does God let bad things happen to His children? Rabbi Kushner, the author of the bestselling: "When Bad Things ...
REVIEW!
All Five Lectures are Live for Review! Hurrah! They will disappear next Tuesday evening. Review is powerful for our hearts. Let's do this. You could download and listen to many ...
5 Elisha
I think you will find this week somewhat different -- as Paige said, "No bang, and I like bang!" At first, I felt a bit lost, and you may too, ...
4 Naboth’s Vineyard
Last week I had an "aha" moment when I learned Mount Horeb, where God passed by Elijah, was the same as Mount Sinai, where God passed by Moses. Same God. ...
3 Overcoming Despair
This week's teaching from Paige Benton Brown made me think of all the people I talk to, believers and unbelievers alike, and even how I myself can be when I ...
#2 How Long Will You Limp?
Our God is the only God, yet we so often run to our idols, and so we limp through life. This week is the famous contest between the true God ...
1 Never Alone
Paige opens her series on Elijah and Elisha by telling how many felt overwhelmed by this topic. (She made me smile when she quoted one, "I can't even find the ...
Tim Keller on John 17:21
This is the last lesson in this series. The next Bible study will be posted on Thursday, September 8th. I will be posting on Thursdays instead of Sundays for the ...
Effective Apologies
If we are to be one in the body of Christ, truly loving one another, we must learn how to apologize well to one another. If we are to bear ...
The Mark of a Christian
When time was running out, Jesus washed His disciples' feet: Christ Washing Peter's Feet by Ford Madox Brown 1857-58 Then he predicted his betrayal and gave a morsel of bread ...
Parting Scenes
In August we are doing a short series on the mark of a Christian. Homework will be lighter, but the message is one of the most important in all of ...
#9 Hard Sayings of Jesus
Tim Keller does a masterful job of clarifying a text that we might, in the past, have not seen as terribly relevant, since we know believers cannot be demon possessed. ...
#8 Hard Sayings of Jesus
I am so glad to be looking at these hard sayings, together, for they are, indeed challenging. I have misinterpreted this one in the past, so it is good to ...
# 7 Hard Sayings of Jesus
Part II of: "...the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and the violent take it by force." Last week, in looking at the life of John the Baptist, we ...
#6 Hard Sayings of Jesus
This is such a hard saying, and also so controversial, I am going to spend two weeks on it. I am eager to do it with you, for you are ...
# 5 Hard Sayings of Jesus
Love him!? Really, Lord? Yes, our God, in complete contrast to the gods of other religions commands us: "love your enemies." We are looking at the hard sayings of Jesus with ...
# 4 Hard Sayings of Jesus
First, an apology for last week. I didn't realize until many of you were scratching your heads, that the free podcast I had you listen to was different than the ...
#3 Hard Sayings of Jesus
I'm so enjoying doing these hard sayings with you. Your answers at the close of last week were fascinating! Hebrews 6 must get the prize for the most challenging ...
#2 Hard Sayings of Jesus
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Matthew 12:31 As a young Christian, I feared ...
#1 Hard Sayings of Jesus
Ahhh summer! Where I live, on the cool thumb of the mitten of Wisconsin, we wait for her all year long, grumbling when it is still snowing in early May. ...
It’s The Heart, Stupid! (2)
When raising our children, my dear friend Shell and I used to lovingly call one another "Law" and "Grace" for I felt she was too strict, and she felt I ...
It’s The Heart, Stupid!(1)
(2 WEEK STUDY BEFORE LENT BEGINS) In two weeks, together, we will go through Paul Tripp's Lenten Devotional. I'm going to be a participant with you and I'm excited. Hope ...
#27 Two Women
Whether or not they were trying to mock Revelation, I do not know. Christians discussed this afterwards -- and I found this article about such discussions to have wisdom, should ...
#26 Two Songs for Christmas
How thankful I was to see that this is where we landed for Christmas in Revelation! The Song of the Lamb! Thank You, Lord! Whew! I have been ...
#25 Is Hell Real?
While this may seem an inappropriate post for Advent, it's not. We are at war with the Father of Lies. The reason Jesus came was to rescue us from a ...
#24 Mark of Beast
As a new Christian l was concerned that our new telephone number began with 666, but I need not have been. The mark of the beast is unlikely to be ...
#23 AN UNHOLY TRINITY
Unlike the holy Trinity, the unholy Trinity of Satan cannot create, but can only counterfeit the true Trinity in order to bring evil instead of good, and to persecute and ...
#22 War in Heaven
Anyone who sees Jesus as just a great moral teacher hasn't really listened to Him. He said wild things like "Before Abraham was, I AM," and, "If you've seen me, ...
#21 The Dragon
We are returning to the second half of Revelation after an 8 week break in Romans. Even though Romans and Revelation are very different kinds of literature, they are part ...
#20 Review!
Congratulations! You have studied 1/2 of the challenging book of Revelation! You deserve a cheer! So many, including me, for decades, avoided this book for deep study for it just ...
#19 Breath of Life
When you finish this week, you are half-way through Revelation. Not only that, Revelation 11 has been called the most difficult chapter in the whole book. So hang on, you ...
#18 My Father’s World
This last week terrible images have flowed out of Afghanistan, looking like pictures from John's visions in Revelation. How we need to pray for them, and also remember: In Rev. ...
# 17 No More Delay!
John saw six trumpets of judgment. Last week we saw the intensity increase with the 5th and 6th judgment. God is just, He loves His Bride, and has been pouring ...
#16 Hell Unleashed
Denial is dangerous. My husband was a wonderful optimist, and that made him a joy to be around. He loved people, he laughed a lot, and he saw the best ...
# 15 Trumpets!
Oh how the Bible is all one story! There is an amazing parallel between the plagues of Egypt and the judgments (seals, trumpets, bowls and visions of conflict) of Revelation. ...
#14 Silence in Heaven
Only five verses this week -- but WOW! "When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven..." Why? We saw in Revelation 7:1 that angels hold back ...
#13 SEALED!
I love seeing the allusions to the Song of Songs in Revelation. This has always been one of my favorite verses from the Song: We'll compare this, in our study, ...
#12 The Seals
We're beginning a new section (Congratulations to you! You are still with us!) Once we get past the churches and the opening visions, we get into the judgments. There are ...
#11 Is He Worthy?
Here in Revelation 5 we have a New Song sung by every tribe and nation! Hands down, my favorite contemporary praise song is Andrew Peterson's Is He Worthy? It ...
#10 Kingdom Eyes
God peeled back a corner of heaven for Daniel, Ezekiel, and John. He wanted them to then give us a glimpse of the unseen world. Why? Seeing the holiness of ...
# 9 Lukewarm!
The last of the 7, lukewarm Laodicea makes Jesus want to spit them out of His mouth. I've told this story before but will tell it again because it seems ...
# 8 God Opens Doors
Smyrna and Philadelphia had only commendations from Jesus. Both, though severely persecuted, persevered, and God blessed. To little Philadelphia He said: "I have placed before you an open door which ...
# 7 Wake Up!
The church in Sardis had a reputation of being alive but was dead. The frightening aspect is that they didn't realize this. As Dr. Campbell says: "Those who have lost ...
# 6 Thyatira’s Poison
Imagine that you had a daughter who deeply loved the Lord and was the apple of your eye. After she left the nest she began attending a church where the ...
#5. Hidden Manna
The Church in Pergamum is where "Satan has his throne." Pergamum was also a city of many gods, and as long as you didn't prefer one god above another, you ...
#4. Smyrna Praised
I need the message to the persecuted church of Smyrna. Jesus has no rebuke for them. They were poor but rich! They did not cling to comfort but to God ...
# 3 The 7 Churches Are Us!
Why are only 7 churches addressed by Christ when there were more than 7 churches in Asia Minor? Numbers are symbolic in Revelation. As Dr. Campbell explains: Seven, rooted in ...
# 2: The Promise
"Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take it to heart what is written in it, because ...
#1. Revelation! We Begin!
Snorkeling in Hawaii put me in awe of God's great hidden world - of swarms of brilliantly colored fish that I hadn't even known existed. Together, we are about to ...
Considering Joining Us in Revelation? Let me help you prayerfully decide.
A paradigm shift occurs when truth clears up past misconceptions and answers many mysteries! It happened when Galileo discovered the earth revolved around the sun rather than the sun revolving ...
BASKING IN THE RESURRECTION
WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES THE RESURRECTION MAKE? ALL THE DIFFERENCE. I believe Christianity, not because "it works for me," for as Paige Benton Brown said: "many times, so to speak, it ...
Special Lenten Post: Jesus’ Last Week with Paige Benton Brown
I'm departing from our format for a week for several reasons, but the reason underneath the human reason is that I do believe the LORD wants you to watch this ...
Love in A Time of Covid # 4 I’ll Fly Away
In the many moves in our marriage, I always desired a house near the water, which God sometimes graciously granted. When Steve felt a call to the medically under-served area ...
Love in a Time of Covid Week #3 The Bride Jesus Loves
The Bible begins with a wedding, ends with a wedding, and is shot through with pictures of a faithful Bridegroom loving an unfaithful bride. This Bridegroom has the power to ...
Love in a Time of Covid #2 (He Who Overcomes)
This week is about overcoming, and I've been reading a book about two women who truly were overcomers when they were taken captive in Iran for their Christianity. What was ...
Introduction: #1 “Love in a Time of Covid” (Overcoming thru Revelation)
I remember when I was a young girl looking at the photographs in Life Magazine of the 5 martyred missionaries in the jungles of Ecuador. That was one of the early ...
Reflecting on the Poetry of Christmas
Before we leave 2020, I'd like you to reflect, with help of some beautiful poetry, on the beauty of God being made flesh. But first, I want to tell you ...
An Advent of Holy Contemplation #4 He Made Himself Nothing
This year may be the simplest Christmas we've known, but that may get us closer to the One who made Himself nothing for us. Perhaps you will be with some relatives ...
An Advent of Holy Contemplation #3 God and Sinners Reconciled!
I was reading an old article entitled "England Before And After Wesley," and how dramatically the doctrine of grace banished the darkness with light. For example, slavery was rampant in ...
An Advent of Holy Contemplation #2 Fear Not!
If we listen to our souls we might hear: How can this Christmas possibly be wonderful? Will I or the people I love get Covid? Will there be enough money ...
An Advent of Holy Contemplation #1 Sometimes A Light Surprises!
Christmas during the pandemic will be different in some ways for each of us. We may not be with loved ones, we may not be participating in joyful live worship ...
# 12 SHALLOWS (SAUL! SAUL!)
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# 11 Shallows (Simon, Simon)
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# 10 Shallows (Martha! Martha!)
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# 9 SHALLOWS (SAMUEL! SAMUEL!)
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# 8 Shallows (Moses! Moses!)
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# 7 SHALLOWS (Jacob! Jacob!)
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# 6 SHALLOWS (Jacob: A Theology of Suffering)
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# 5 SHALLOWS (Abraham! Abraham!)
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# 4 SHALLOWS (Look Up At The Stars!)
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# 3 SHALLOWS (He Knows Your Name)
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#2 Shallows (FEAR NOT)
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# 1 SHALLOWS (Little Children, Keep Yourselves From Idols)
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# 10 MAKING LAMENT PERSONAL
This has been such a personal study. As our Dawn said, "We really get to know one another through our laments." I also was so delighted when a personal friend ...
#9 ROAD MAP TO GRACE
I woke this morning to post what I had written, and it had disappeared! So this will be a simpler post than usual, and I ask for your grace. We ...
#8 Unearthing Idols (Lam. 4)
How relevant is Lamentations 4 to America, indeed, to our whole world today. God shook Jerusalem. And when He did, peoples' idols were unearthed, as they faced the fact ...
#7 The Great Hymn We Misunderstood
I remember my surprise to learn that Lamentations 3:22-23, which inspired the lyrics to "Great is Thy Faithfulness" was the end of a lament. I thought it was simply a ...
# 6 Pour Out Your Heart Like Water!
When I pray with my charismatic brothers and sisters, I feel like a dripping faucet next to a roaring waterfall. Jeremiah tells us to CRY OUT! POUR OUT YOUR HEART ...
#5 Beginning Lamentations
We'll spend two weeks on the opening chapter of Part II: Learning to Lament We need to not only learn to lament, we need to learn from lament. Why? Indeed, is this what God is ...
# 4 God Moves In A Mysterious Way
Last week we contemplated the lyrics of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," this week we'll contemplate the rich lyrics of Cowper's "God Moves In A Mysterious Way." I've been working on ...
#3 The Bridge Over Troubled Water
Sometimes God chooses to work through unbelievers. He called Cyrus, though he did not know Him, to free the Israelites. I also think He led Simon and Garfunkel, though they ...
# 2 Bring Your Complaints
Meditate on this promise. Though complaining sounds negative, there is a way to do it that is profitable. Most people complain to others, which is hurtful, for a broken spirit ...
#1 Keep Turning to Prayer
Newcomer Lynn Marie expressed what many of us felt as grief for atrocities poured through the pages last week, particularly Chris's terrible story of her beloved Daniel's death: How is ...
The Beginning (#23)
Why did the tiny band of twelve disciples explode over all the Roman world? What news could have turned that world upside-down? As Keller writes in this final chapter, there were dozens ...
The End (#22)
My daughter Sally was reading "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" to her young daughters. They realized someone was going to have to die to set Edmund free from ...
A Different Kind of Revolution (#21)
My friend Sylvia (yes, the same friend as last week!) and her husband always go to the National Prayer Breakfast, eager to see how the Lord will show up, for ...
THE CUP: He drank it all. (#20)
Have you ever thought these kind of thoughts? I deserve this sorrow -- I fail the Lord so much. The Lord cannot still love me, for I keep doing the thing I ...
The Feast (#19)
To share a meal with someone was to have a real relationship with them. (Tim Keller) Jesus showed the disciples, through the Last Supper, that they were family, bound by ...
Coming In The Clouds (#18)
How do I even dare to exposit such a holy and mysterious passage as Mark 13? Only with earnest prayer, study, and caution. I will share what is clear ...
Heart Transplant Needed (#17)
Our stony heart idols cannot be removed, they can only be replaced by the One who turns a heart of stone into a heart of flesh. It is only when ...
Easter in a time of Covid 19 (#16)
Last week I prayed with women in Manhatten, women to whom our own Laura and I ministered last fall. They are in the center of the pandemic and are praying ...
The Ransom (#15) Holy Week, 2020
It's the beginning of Holy Week. How wonderful that it "just happened" that this week's lesson is "The Ransom." What was Jesus main purpose for coming? Is that linked to ...
Is God Behind Covid 19? (#14)
Keller opens this chapter in the King's Cross with the stark fact that Christianity moves away from wealth. How true that has been in America. In this time of Covid ...
Unless You Become Like A Child (#13)
Jesus tells us that unless we become like a little child, we won't enter the kingdom of heaven! In a positive way, He says the same with the ...
Longest 18 Inches (#12)
It has been said that the longest 18 inches is between the head and the heart. It is one thing to believe about Jesus in your head, it is quite ...
LOSING YOUR LIFE TO FIND IT (#11)
We are at a pivotal point in Mark. Keller calls it "The Turn." The disciples have been following Jesus, believing He had come to rescue them out of all ...
He Keeps On Helping Us See (#10)
Our symbol this week is blindness and how He keeps healing it. We will see how faith leads to seeing and how a lack of faith leads to blindness. We ...
The Heart, The Heart, The Heart (#9)
When speaking at a seminar, I stained my white suit jacket with a permanent red marker, feeling much like the woman in this picture. Yes, it was a costly, humbling, ...
Hearts of Stone (#8)
The title I originally wanted for my book, Idol Lies, was The Stonecutter, based on this verse from Ezekiel: I believe this act of God turning our heart of stone into a ...
Desperate (#7)
So often on this website we have prayed for one another as we have faced huge storms. The love we have developed for one another has made us cry out ...
He Allows Storms for His Beloved (#6)
When our own Chris faced the worst storm of her life, the assault and death of her teenage son Daniel, she pondered the print of this painting by Jean Guichard ...
Parables To Hide & Illumine (#5)
Our symbol this week is the lightbulb, with a prayer for each of us, that we will not grope about in the darkness, but that His Word, His parables, will ...
He Came To End Religion (#4)
Religion hurts people. I always remember the response of a seeker in our study when we were looking at the first miracle and sign of Jesus: turning water into wine. ...
He touched the leper. (#3)
Though the law forbade it, Jesus touched the leper. Our symbol this week is Jesus reaching out in compassion to the leper. It is sobering to realize that this ...
“The Kingdom of God Has Come Near” (#2)
Our symbol this week is a crown, for we see early on in Mark that Christ is the King, who has authority over all. Mark now shows us ...
On Your Mark! (#1)
A new year. A fresh start. An exciting new journey through Mark that will take us through winter, Lent, and all the way up to summer. My favorite Keller commentary ...
AND WONDERS OF HIS LOVE
I love the women on this blog, for so many are "without guile," confessing their sin, asking authentic questions, and longing to be closer to Jesus. Our own Laura questioned ...
THE WONDER OF “RUTH”
The book of Ruth has fascinated me all of my Christian life. As a young Christian I felt called to immerse myself in this little book and it shaped who I ...
I WONDER AS I WANDER
In the Keller sermon this week he urges us to not just bask in the nostalgia of Christmas but to PONDER THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS. This week we will help ...
Daily Wonder This Advent
My goal for us this Advent is to experience His wonder daily. How? We'll begin each day by praying, Come Lord Jesus and then reflect on the Christ of Christmas. ...
Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow (Thanksgiving 2019)
You may not be having a Thanksgiving like this picture, but did you know Norman Rockwell painted this during World War II, when many sons and fathers were missing from ...
THIS IS MY FATHER’S WORLD
A permeating theme in Thanksgiving hymns is trusting God in sorrow. How? By remembering His sovereignty, trusting His guidance in the battle, and reminding our soul of His promises for ...
We Gather Together
"We Gather Together" was written following a time of terrible conflict following the Reformation in the 16th century. In reaction to the Reformation, which was needed and yet had some ...
FOR THE WONDER OF EACH HOUR…
A hearty welcome to our sisters from "across the pond" our neighboring Canada, and every corner of the United States. We are so glad, whether silently or actively, that you ...
A Month of Giving Thanks (2019)!
Overwhelming research shows thankfulness actually changes the chemistry of our brains, releasing happy hormones! The last three days I've been with perhaps the happiest woman I know: Linda Strom of ...
Really Jesus? Love My Enemies?
As we come to the close of Matthew 5, Jesus puts the highest bar of all before us. You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate ...
Keeping our Word, Even and Especially, when it Hurts
When you say you will do something, whether it is teaching 2nd grade Sunday School or meeting a friend for lunch at noon, can they count on you to ...
Jesus Protecting Women
How counter-cultural was Jesus' view of sex and of women! In Jesus day, women were second class citizens, often used and abused. Women flocked to Christianity for good reason! Today, ...
THE HEART, THE HEART, THE HEART
This week in Bible study a friend from pickleball, quite new to study, came in and began our study with: I hated this study on the Sermon on the Mount. ...
JOY LEADS TO BEING SALT & LIGHT
One of my most frequent prayers, as I know it is for many of you, is that my children (and their spouses) will be seized with passion for the Lord. ...
The Counter-Cultural Life (Fall Series from Sermon on the Mount)
Too often instead of being in the world but not of it, we are of the world but not in it. Yet unless you are living counter-culturally, you are not ...
Blessed Are The Persecuted
When I read the book of Acts and other accounts of the early Christians, I am struck by the boldness of believers in the face of such terrible persecution. They ...
Called to Be Peacemakers
This statue is outside a church and refers to The Book of Common Prayer: The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each ...
Power for Stubborn Sins
If I'm honest, there were stubborn sins in my life that I thought would never come out until I saw Jesus face to face. Having a really positive relationship with ...
The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life
Continuing our theme, on which you gave so much thoughtful input, let's consider what leads to happiness. I used to think, and even have written, that God is not particularly ...
THE SECRET OF SATISFACTION
Many of the founders of our country were Christians, and part of our inalienable rights is "the pursuit of happiness." I used to think that wasn't a Christian philosophy, but ...
The Power of Meekness!
Though meekness rhymes with weakness, that is not what it is. How illuminating it is to learn that it comes from two Greek words meaning: "used to" and "the hand." ...
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
Jesus wasn't talking about the grief that follows the loss of a loved one, which might surprise many greeting card companies! Though it is true that the Lord is close ...
The First Step: Poor in Spirit
When I knelt to receive Christ in 1966, I didn't come completely broken, just broken enough to know I needed forgiveness from God. Yet in my heart, I still felt ...
He Who Would Love Life
For many, summer is our favorite season. "The winter is past, the time of singing has come." How we want to seize it, and, as the psalmist says, "to love ...
How To Help A Fool (Two Week Study:)
Though it is extremely rare for a fool to come to his senses, it has happened, for nothing is impossible with God. The common variable seems to be pain. So though our ...
The Fool’s Mouth
So many of the Proverbs warn about the fool's mouth. Not only are these red flag warnings that you might be dealing with a fool, they are warnings to our ...
Caution in Calling Someone A Fool
Before we proceed in our study of the person the book of Proverbs calls a fool, we need to consider the warning of Jesus: But I tell you that anyone ...
3 Basic Characteristics of Fools
I'll never forget meeting Jan Silvious. We were sharing the speaking at a retreat. Jan was speaking on her classic book: Foolproofing Your Life. I listened ...
Dealing with “Fools” (June Proverbs Study)
We are in Proverbs this summer, with a different topic each month. Billy Graham read a psalm and a chapter of proverbs every day. Psalms helped him ...
Losing friends? Check your Filter.
Those without a filter have a penchant for hurting others, but they either don't care or can't seem to see it. They post hurtful things on Facebook, kindling strife. They ...
What Does Faithfulness in Friendship Look Like?
Last week we had such a good discussion over the proverb that talks about "a friend closer than a brother." Sometimes our most faithful friends are not biological family, but ...
Closer Than A Brother
Proverbs 18:24 tells us there is a friend who is "closer than a brother." And while we, of course, think of Jesus, it is also true that there are times ...
The Healing Power of Friendship
Faithful friends are rare, Solomon will tell us this week, but, oh, when we find one, the good they can do! It is vital to realize that because we are all ...
Slowing Down, Seeing More
Because May can be as busy as December, we're going to slow the pace: not just so that more can keep up, but so that we may see more. It's ...
Racing to the Tomb
Incredulous at Mary's report, Peter and John suddenly raced to the tomb. Eugene Burnand (1898) "The Disciples Peter and John Racing To the Sepulcher on the Morning of the Resurrection" ...
Holy Week Through John’s Eyes
Together, with the "disciple Jesus loved," we will travel through Holy Week. Jennifer stole my heart when filming "The Jesus Who Surprises" in Georgia last February. Jennifer was ...
The Seventh Sign
Seven is an important number in Scripture. There are seven miracles in John, all called "signs." We come to the seventh sign, The last sign before the cross, the raising ...
Deliver Us From Spiritual Blindness!
The closer we get to the cross, the more significant the "signs" become. The 6th miracle in John is the healing of a man born blind. But there is way ...
The Enemy and The Gospel
We have an enemy who prowls about like a lion, looking for fresh meat. He hides. And we are apt to forget him, which gives him a real advantage. ...
A Key To Unlocking God’s Secrets
Why is there so much repetition in nature? Because one Creator did it all. And why, though there are 66 books in the Bible, written over many centuries, from ...
Lenten Joy!
If the words "Lenten Joy" seem like an oxymoron, it's because Lent needed reforming, it needed the gospel! So as we begin this first full Lenten week, let us contemplate ...
A Fresh Approach To Lent (2019)
Lent can be an exciting season of renewal, especially if approached through the gospel lens. Lent officially begins this Ash Wednesday, March 6th, and ends on Easter, April 21st. Excluding ...
Relationships Transformed By The Gospel
Blest Be The Tie That Binds! And what is that Tie? Jesus and the Gospel He brings. A gospel that can deliver us not only from the penalty of sin, ...
WHY LIBERAL CHURCHES ARE DYING
I've always applied the passage in Galatians 5 to me as an individual. If I abide in Christ, and He abides in me, Jesus promises, I will bear much fruit ...
An Empowering Secret To Overcoming
It was the secret to the victorious life of Jonathan Edwards. It is a secret our own Chris shared two weeks ago. It is a secret hidden in Galatians 5 ...
WHO IS YOUR MOTHER?
Works-righteousness, Luther said, is the default mode of the human heart. Instead of resting in God's love and approval of me, I am constantly building my own righteousness. I want ...
Are You Experiencing Your Abba?
It is one thing to know legally, that you are a son of God because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. It is quite another to experience the love of ...
THE MARK OF A CHRISTIAN
Francis Schaeffer was unique, a Reformed theologian, who, along with his wife, Edith, formed L'abri (meaning shelter) in Switzerland: a place where individuals could come and discuss truth, God, and ...
Do You Have The Joy of a Gospel Transformed Life?
In October, Eugene Peterson, known best for The Message and for his inextinguishable joy, went home to be with the Lord. On his passing, the family wrote: During the previous days, ...
A Power From On High To Rescue Us
If all Jesus Christ can do is tell me that I must be holy, His teaching only causes me to despair. Oswald Chambers This is how Christianity differs from other ...
Two Months to Victorious Freedom: #1
This year, we have two months before Lent begins, and this blog will be simplified, with less homework, yet I pray, powerful for us. So often we make and break ...
Mary! The final woman in the genealogy of Christ.
Poet Luci Shaw has said that Protestants, in reaction to what they perceive as a worship of Mary in Catholicism, have fallen off on the other side, abandoning her, to ...
Ruth, Taking Hold of What Christ Took Hold For Her
Ruth is the 3rd woman listed in the genealogy of Christ. She exemplifies an important truth for the greatest adventure. She took hold of that for which Christ had taken ...
Rahab, a Prostitute in The Lineage of Christ
Grace, Grace, God's Grace, Grace that is Greater Than All Our Sin... Though she had three strikes against her: woman, prostitute, and Canaanite... She is elevated three times in the ...
Tamar and Judah: “She is More Righteous Than I”
This Advent we are looking at the women named in the genealogy of Christ. If you are thinking, "How boring!" Think again. There are fascinating treasures here for you. My ...
Preparing for Advent 2018
We all need Advent. It reflects the truth that even during the darkest time of the year, there is a Light that shines in the darkness, a Light the darkness ...
THANKSGIVING WEEK 2018!
THANKSGIVING IS BEAUTIFUL IN ITS SIMPLICITY, FREEDOM OF WORSHIPNORMAN ROCKWELL IN HOW BOTH AUTUMN & HARVEST SPEAK ETERNAL TRUTHS, AND IN HOW ITS GREAT HYMNS, FROM ...
31 Days of Thanksgiving (Does it actually save you?)
When I first heard that Ann VosKamp's One Thousand Gifts was staying on the New York Time's bestseller list, I thought: Really? A book on something as elementary as giving ...
31 Days of Giving Thanks (With the help of Andrew Peterson’s “Is He Worthy?)
This week we are going to allow God's gift of music to stir our hearts toward thankfulness, for music has power. I see it in prison all the time. They ...
31 Days of Giving Thanks (With help from Eugene Peterson)
This is our second week of our "giving thanks journey" leading up to Thanksgiving. Early Monday morning Eugene Peterson went to be with the Lord. He has blessed so many ...
31 Days of Thankfulness (Days 1-6)
It seems almost unbelievable that simply sowing seeds of thankfulness could transform your life, producing abundant joy, peace, and love -- but scriptures and studies tell us it is true. ...
Election: A Hard Truth
Romans 9 is one of the hardest chapters in the whole Bible because it explains election, which many believers simply cannot accept. But I cannot, before God, skip Romans ...
MY KING AND MY GOD! (Psalm 5) No matter what life brings…
We've been looking at a pattern in Scripture, where God says: You are my people! And His people reply: You are my God! This is the heart attitude we are ...
When Loved Ones Break your Heart (Psalm 4)
You have loved, but the one whom you loved: a child, a sibling, a parent, a sister, a brother in Christ... has turned on you. Betrayal by loved ones is shocking and heart-breaking. What ...
You Are My God — Even Amidst Hurricane Florence
When disaster strikes, where can we go? Only to "Our God." He will either stop the storm, or be with us in the storm. You will hear stories from two ...
Experience His Presence More Than You Have
If I were to name a common denominator, a desire that the women here all have, it is to experience His presence. This last week I've been mediating on a ...
WAITING ON THE LORD!
I'm taking a break to wait on the Lord as to what He would have me do next with this blog. But in the meantime, I'd love to continue the ...
FINISHING MERE CHRISTIANITY! WE DID IT!
WE DID IT! WITH THIS LAST WEEK OF SUMMER, WE WILL HAVE COMPLETED MERE CHRISTIANITY. IT MAKES ME WANT TO SING THIS, FROM MY FAIR LADY: You did it! You ...
Did C. S. Lewis believe in purgatory?
We're going to discuss if Lewis believed in purgatory at the end of the week -- and I am eager for your views. He says some very controversial things in ...
Let’s Pretend (Earthly stories that illumine truth)
One evening at Oxford, before C. S. Lewis was converted to Christianity, he had a famous conversation with J. R. R. Tolkein in which Lewis lamented that though he had ...
How To Change (Mere Christianity)
Theology, or doctrine, matters. It influences our thinking, and our thinking shapes how we live. Let me illustrate. Living close to my daughter Sally the last five years has given ...
Sensing Beauty in the World Will Never Save Us (The Necessity of Theology)
Oh, I do believe this final section will be my favorite. Though warned against it, Lewis closes with theology. Why? Though it is true, Lewis says, that we may sense God in ...
If nothing on this earth can satisfy…Lewis on Hope and Faith
I wait all year for Door County summers: for the beauty and the warmth, for the joy of children and grandchildren coming and for times on the back porch, ...
The Great Sin: Mere Christianity
This is the chapter that may shake your world. I'm reading an old tattered copy that has notes and underlinings from my then teenage daughter, Sally. This chapter is particularly ...
C. S. Lewis on Marriage and Forgiveness:
So much has been written on marriage and forgiveness, but Lewis has some fresh ideas, and I'm looking forward to edifying discussions! When he gave his radio address on marriage ...
C. S. Lewis and Sexuality
Lewis continues foundational arguments on Christian behavior, and then begins with specific categories, the first being sexuality. It is remarkable how contemporary he is, and yet that should only give us confidence ...
Christian Behavior (Beginning Book 3 of Mere Christianity)
Congratulations to all who have made it this far! Now, in July, we will cover Book 3 of Mere Christianity: CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOR Lewis begins with some foundational principles, showing how ...
The Shocking Jesus (Finishing Book II of Mere Christianity)
I was twenty-one, a wife, and a new mother. My newly converted sister came to Indianapolis, followed me around with a Bible, and asked me question after question about Jesus: Who ...
What Christians Believe (Mere Christianity)
We Begin Book II of Mere Christianity, and you'll be heartened to know it is easier! Congratulations to you who made it through Book I, which is, in my opinion, ...
We Have Cause To Be Uneasy (Ch. 5 of Mere Christianity)
We come to the close of Part I, or Book 1 of Mere Christianity. Lewis has established that outside of anything you learn from "the Bible or churches," we know ...
# 3 Mere Christianity: The Moral Law (Ch. 3-4)
Fish do what their Maker created them to do Birds do what their Maker created them to do F The sun does what its' Maker created it to do W ...
# 2 Chapter 2 of Mere Christianity: Objections
Remembering that these were originally radio broadcasts, Lewis has received some objections to his thesis that God puts a moral law within the souls of humans. I OBJECT! A good ...
# 1: Introducing Lewis and Chapter 1 of Mere Christianity.
Suffering softens hearts toward God, World War II had begun with unimaginable losses of human life. The scene was set for an apologist. It certainly seems C. S. Lewis was ...
SUMMER BOOK CLUB! GET READY, GET SET!
You are invited to Join us In A Summer Book Club! I read more in the summer, and I'm always looking for a good book. This week we're going to ...
Degrees of Happiness in Heaven (Final on Heaven)
We've learned that the New Heaven and the New Earth is not some ethereal place in the sky where we float, but tangible, exciting, and beautiful, like the best of ...
Homesick No More! (# 4 on Heaven) Jeremiah 31
Do you have a longing that nothing, not even the best things on earth, can satisfy? C. S. Lewis says that the most probable explanation is that we were made ...
Throw Away Your Bucket List! (Windows of Heaven # 3)
We can throw away our bucket list, for this earth is not our last chance at all! We don’t have to sail the isles of Greece, see the penguins of ...
A Living Hope in A Dying World (Heaven Series: #2)
I'm with my daughter Annie this weekend on a mini get-a-way together. Shortly after I went to bed, she came into our bedroom and said: "Mom -- we are bombing ...
WINDOWS INTO HEAVEN (New Study)
This Spring I'm excited to look through the windows of Scripture into heaven. Though many books have been written by those who had near death experiences, I don't know whom ...
The Wonder of It All (Easter Week 2018)
This is a film clip from John Eldredge based on his book: All Things New that will start off our week of wonder at the power of the ...
Why Holy Week is Hard, Yet So Powerful For Us (Isaiah 53)
When I was a new Christian, I didn't want to go to Good Friday services, for I felt it was so hard to think about the enormous suffering of Jesus. ...
Behold Your God
What can transform our anxious hearts? Beholding our God, and Isaiah helps us to do this so well. What can help us release our idols? Beholding our God. That is ...
Comfort Ye, Comfort Ye My People
There is good news in Isaiah! After all the hard news, comes beautiful Isaiah 40, leading the way into much good news. Many of you are facing severe trials -- ...
The Purpose of Lent is to Experience Christ
We really do not comprehend just how serious sin is. One of the purposes of Lent is to help us see how our idolatry grieves a holy God, so that ...
VARIATIONS ON A THEME
My "heart burns within me" when I see the gospel theme repeat throughout the Old and New Testaments. 66 books written over many centuries, by many men in many cultures. ...
The Gospel According To Isaiah
Lent is a time of washing ourselves so that we might be clean vessels filled for Christ, experiencing more of Him! Whenever I asked theologians I respect about the best commentary on ...
Get Ready, Get Set, for A Fruitful Lent!
Nowhere in Scripture does it tell us to practice Lent. It isn't an "I ought," It's an "I can." This year we will journey together to higher ground. In ...
My Heart Bursts Its Banks
One last psalm before we begin our Lenten Adventure! And a glorious psalm it is! Not often do we get a peek into how holy men were inspired by the ...
CUT TO THE HEART (Psalm 16 Part 2)
A few summers ago a young cousin stopped by. She and my daughter Annie had been good friends in childhood. I love this young woman, but rarely see her as ...
In Your Presence is Fullness Of Joy (Psalm 16 – Part I.)
Our hearts are going to break -- we can count on it. But the surprise is that suffering can actually produce joy. I want you to meet Stephanie, a new ...
Resurrection Power in our Sisterhood
This week God gave me "fresh" manna and when He did, it truly was a kiss, a reminder that despite my daily self-centeredness, He loves me. He loves us ...
The Stark Reality of the Psalms
Philip Yancey said that when he was feeling sad or stressed, people told him to read the psalms, and he would come across one of the "wintriest" psalms and go ...
Be Still and Know in 2018
Tis a season for everything under heaven, and Advent and Christmas are lovely, but the decorations are looking a little sad, the sweets have made me a bit sluggish, the ...
Oh Holy Night! The Angels Song!
He wooed me as a child, appealing to all my senses. My mittened hand in my dad's big gloved hand as we walked toward the church on a snowy Christmas ...
Zechariah’s Song
Nine months deaf Nine months mute Nine months of wonder as his withered wife blossoms. Nine months to ponder Nine months to repent And then, God unleashes Zechariah's tongue. When ...
Zechariah’s Preparation (Part 1)
Zechariah is a godly man, blameless in the sight of God. Unlike so many husbands in Scripture, he had not taken another wife when Elizabeth was barren. Only once a ...
Mindful of Us! Mary’s Magnificat!
When David looked up at the starry heavens, he marveled: What is man that thou art mindful of him? Mary quoted that psalm, echoing David's amazement in her Magnificat. My ...
Advent 2017: The Prayers of Christmas
This year I got talked into letting my home be on the "Holiday Home Tour" to help a local children's center. I protested, "But my home isn't that grand, and ...
How To Respond To Thankless Thanksgiving Dinners!
Your heart's desire is for a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving where you go around the table several times with various ways of thanking God. The fellowship is sweet, rich, laced with ...
THANKSGIVING 2017 (PART I)
God is near to the humble, to those who know their desperate need for Him, to those who know that without Him they can do nothing. As I told the ...
THOSE CHALLENGING STORIES (Abraham and Isaac)
This week we are going to look at one of the most challenging stories in Scripture: "The Sacrifice of Isaac." We read it and think: What? God you abhor child sacrifice! ...
Faith and Art (Part 1 of The Story of the Lamb)
Sitting by the fire on the anniversary of Steve's death this month, my daughter Sally and I remembered one of the ways God ministered to us in our grief was ...
THE TAPESTRY OF YOUR LIFE
We've seen Him do it here, on the blog: weaving our lives together so that we feel His breath on the back of our necks. One incident I'll never forget ...
WHERE IS YOUR IDENTITY, TRULY?
Years ago, I was ice skating with a new friend in Fargo. I had decided before we came it was time to find out where she really was with Jesus, ...
SET FREE OF RELIGION!
Martin Luther called it "the default mode of the human heart." What is it? RELIGION Tim Keller said that religion is just as dangerous as irreligion and the gospel ...
The Gospel According to Noah
When Joni Eareckson Tada and Ken Estes wrote When God Weeps, they made the controversial statement that it isn't just that God allows sorrow, He appoints it. How I remember talking ...
Let Not Many of You Become Teachers
God warns that teachers will receive a stricter judgment, So I must come to you and tell you I shouldn't have endorsed the "gospel sentence" that some saw in the ...
LORD OF THE STORM
Like many of you, there are people I love who have faced the wrath of Harvey in Texas and Irma in Florida. In communicating with them, I heard repeatedly that ...
2017 A SUMMER OF WONDERS (Week Two of a Two Week Study)
We are continuing our review of our summer of God sightings, so that we will not forget God's benefits, and so we can tell them to our children, and to ...
2017: A SUMMER OF WONDERS (Week One of a Two Week Study)
We've been going on a God Hunt this summer, and it is time to reflect on our summer of wonders. National Geographic: American Solar Eclipse 8/21/17 ...
THE ENSLAVEMENT OF NON-GODS
Every time something bad comes out of our mouth or life, it is because we are giving in to a "non-god," to an idol. Martin Lloyd Jones preached 66 sermons ...
Jesus Loves Me This I Know, For My Mama Told Me So
Jesus loves me, this I know, for my Mama told me so... This is how little Philip is singing this familiar song, and his take on it is the answer ...
YOU NEED ONLY TO BE STILL
"The Bible is a unity. That is, perhaps, the most amazing of all the amazing things that are true of it. Sixty-six separate units. Written over one thousand years by ...
YouVersion of He Calls You Beautiful
One last week on the Song, and I've saved something fun! We are going to use the YouVersion devotional for He Calls You Beautiful. Our summer theme is finding Jesus ...
THE MINEFIELD OF GAY MARRIAGE
The pressure to give up God's plan of one man and one woman for life is enormous. If you try, you are seen as a bigot. Instead of Christians being ...
LOVING WELL IN A SEXUALLY BROKEN WORLD
Our world is spinning out of control wrong is seen as right and the pressure is on. We as Christians are called to hold to the truth, to love as ...
HE CALLS YOU BEAUTIFUL RELEASED THIS TUESDAY!
This is going to be so fun to do with you! Tuesday He Calls You Beautiful will be released. AFTER FOUR YEARS OF PRAYER, SEEKING GOD, STUDYING, WRITING, TESTING, EDITING ...
A Holiday Week of God Hunts!
For those of you who have just joined us for our summer study, let me do a brief review. We are going on a "God Hunt" in life and in ...
WHAT WILL HEAVEN REALLY BE LIKE?
If the early Easter sermons were like some sermons in churches today, the world would not have been turned upside down. Can you even imagine John and Peter preaching: "Easter ...
DO WE REALIZE THE POWER WE HAVE?
Have you had the experience of telling an unbeliever about your joy in Christ and had him respond with something like: "I'm happy for you." The message? Christianity is not ...
Why We Crave Close Friends
Discovering Jesus in Genesis 1 can impact us in several ways. First, the light dawns on who He really is. How I remember Debbie in our Seeker's Bible Study. We ...
SUMMER: THE JESUS WHO SURPRISES
WELCOME TO OUR SUMMER STUDY! I BELIEVE YOU WILL BE GREATLY REFRESHED BY THE SWEET COMMUNITY GOD HAS PROVIDED HERE. SUMMER IS A GIFT! FOR MANY OF US IT CAN ...
EXPERIENCING GOD’S PRESENCE (TWO WEEK EXPERIMENT!)
i THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN AND EDIFYING! THIS WEEK AND MEMORIAL DAY WEEK, TOGETHER, WE ARE GOING TO ASK GOD TO HELP US EXPERIENCE HIS PRESENCE, AND ...
WHEN MOTHER’S DAY IS PAINFUL
SOME WOMEN WILL STAY HOME FROM CHURCH TODAY, FOR THEY ALREADY HAVE A KNIFE IN THEIR HEART. THEY DON'T WANT TO SENSE THE EYES OF OTHERS UPON THEM, OR TO ...
THE TRINITY, THE SHACK, AND THE GOSPEL
You may have heard that the Father, Son, and Spirit are all the same God, but they wear different masks, have different roles, like I am a mother, sister, ...
WHY THE TRINITY DELIGHTS AND MATTERS!
It is only when we understand the Triune God that we see how the living God is set apart from the idols of human imagination. (Mike Reeves) HOW DOES ONE ...
ARE YOU IN THE DANCE WITH THE TRINITY?
JOIN US IN A SHORT SERIES ON THE TRINITY! IN THE FREE SERMON THIS WEEK, TIM KELLER ASKS: DO YOU JUST BELIEVE IN GOD, OR ARE YOU IN THE ...
HE IS RISEN INDEED!
THE EARLY CHRISTIANS WOULD GREET EACH OTHER LIKE THIS: VITAL TO THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IS THE UNDERSTANDING THAT CHRIST HAD COME IN THE FLESH (THE INCARNATION) AND RISEN IN THE ...
THE HOLIEST WEEK 2017
WE WILL WALK TOGETHER THIS HOLY WEEK, CONTEMPLATING THE LAMB WHO WAS SLAIN FOR US. EACH DAY WE WILL MEDITATE TOGETHER, DRAWING FROM THE CENTERPIECE OF THE GREAT SCROLL OF ...
MAN OF SORROWS SMITTEN BY GOD
FOR THESE LAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE EASTER SUNDAY WE WILL BE STANDING ON HOLY GROUND. IN A CHURCH I USED TO FREQUENT IN KANSAS CITY, THEY HAD COMMUNION EACH WEEK, ...
THE BATTLE AGAINST THE DARKNESS
Sometimes I do not know if trouble is in my life because I live in a fallen world, because I have sinned, or because I am experiencing spiritual warfare. But ...
THE SONG OF THE BRIDEGROOM
THE SERVANT SONG THIS WEEK IS FROM THE LORD JESUS HIMSELF, OUR ULTIMATE BRIDEGROOM. THIS SONG CULMINATES WITH THE NEWS THAT HE WILL REJOICE OVER US AS A BRIDEGROOM REJOICES ...
CAN A MOTHER FORGET?
BECAUSE OF HER SUFFERING, ISRAEL FELT GOD HAD FORGOTTEN HER. "THE LORD HAS FORSAKEN ME, MY LORD HAS FORGOTTEN ME." (ISAIAH 49:14) HAVE YOU EVER FELT THAT WAY? I CERTAINLY ...
A SMOLDERING WICK
ALL OF US HAVE HAD TIMES WHEN WE FELT LIKE A SMOLDERING WICK WHERE IS THE FIRE, THE PASSION, THE FAITH WE HAD TO BELIEVE? LIKE PETER, WE ALL HAVE ...
REVIVE US O LORD! LENT 2017
PAST LENTEN SEASONS WITH YOU ON THIS BLOG CAUSE ME TO SO LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT GOD WILL DO IN 2017! MY FRIEND TWILA RECENTLY SAID, "JESUS IS AS ...
FORGIVING DEEP HURTS
WEEK 1 WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN DEEPLY HURT IT IS A STRUGGLE TO FORGIVE. WE WANT TO GO OVER IN OUR MINDS WHY SHE (OR HE) WAS WRONG, AND WHY ...
Becoming Fully Human
How Gepetto rejoiced when Pinocchio became a real boy! In the same way, our Creator rejoices to see us becoming fully human. We were dead in our sin, when His ...
DAILY RESURRECTION POWER
In Tender Mercies (one of my all time favorites!) God uses a young widow to love "Mac," a recovering alcoholic, into the Kingdom. Her son, "Sonny" and "Mac" are baptized ...
HIGHER GROUND IN 2017!
TRULY, I BELIEVE TOGETHER WE CAN MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND THIS YEAR. IF YOU'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE, WELCOME BACK! IF YOU ARE NEW, WELCOME! (Newcomers -- go to Dee's homepage, ...
HE’S HERE! (CHRISTMAS WEEK)
MERRY CHRISTMAS MY DEAR SISTERS! I MADE A SPECIAL GREETING FOR YOU, TO TRY, IN MY SMALL WAY, TO TELL ...
BIRTH PANGS (ADVENT 4)
FAR AS THE CURSE (Advent 3)
WHEN LUCY STEPPED THROUGH THE WARDROBE TO NARNIA SHE FOUND ANOTHER WORLD. A WORLD THOSE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR FOUND HARD TO BELIEVE. YET, IT WAS TRUE. ...
HOW GREAT OUR JOY! (Advent 2)
Though there are flashes of light in the first eight chapters of Isaiah, most of it is gloom and doom for God's disobedient people. But when we arrive at Isaiah ...
GOD WITH US (Advent 1)
Advent 2016 has arrived, and how we need it! We will look at passages from Isaiah this Advent, and I am thrilled that this is how the Lord is leading. ...
PRAISE DEFEATS OUR ENEMIES
I AM A WEAK WOMAN. WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS DYING, I WANTED TO DIE WITH HIM, BUT HE PRAYED FOR GOD TO TURN MY MOURNING INTO DANCING. AND, AMAZINGLY, GOD ...
HANDS TO HOIST THE SAIL
HOW EXCITING IT HAS BEEN TO SEE YOU CATCH THE WIND OF THE SPIRIT IN EVANGELISM. INSTEAD OF A CANNED APPROACH YOU HAVE BEEN ALERT TO THOSE WHOM HE PUTS ...
SHOW THE WONDER OF GRACE!
LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT A SIMPLE TESTIMONY OUR DAUGHTER BETH SHARED. STEVE AND I ADOPTED BETH FROM THAILAND WHEN SHE WAS TWELVE BETH WHEN WE ...