Hope In God’s Shepherding
Ezekiel 34:25-31 Every day can’t be perfect. We all experience seasons of grief, illness, regret, and struggle. We have to face them to survive them. There are times when we feel like we’re surrounded...
View ArticleGod Knows Us, His Sheep
John 10:7-18 There are some people we meet who have incredible memories. They remember your name, where you met, why you met, and what connected you to them. I’ve never been that guy. As a pastor, I’m...
View ArticleAnswer God’s Call
1 Peter 5:1-7 In most churches there are folks chosen to lead. leaders are chosen, first by God, then by congregations, to take care of the needs of the church property and the flock they lead. Some...
View ArticleWe Have Everything In God
1 Peter 5:1-7 One of the hardest things to teach people, and one of the hardest lessons to learn, is the difference between “wants” and “needs.” The more materialistic our community is, the more...
View ArticleGod’s Holy Name
Ezekiel 36:16-23 Have you ever said, “my house, my rules”? That’s how Israel felt. They’d decided that the land the Lord had given them was theirs and so they could do whatever they pleased. The...
View ArticleWhat a Heart is Made Of
Ezekiel 36:24-32 Like a small child that’s been jumping in mud puddles or our dog, Daisy, who likes to run through the rancid pond in our backyard, someone else has to do the dirty work of cleaning...
View ArticleThe Highest Thought
Ezekiel 36:33-38 A dear friend once asked me an interesting question: What is the greatest thought? His answer was, “we’ve landed on the moon.” Since we’ve done that, he reasoned, there’s virtually...
View ArticleGod’s Spirit Empowers Us
Joel 2:25-32 Joel 2 paints a vivid picture of God’s redemption and restoration. In my Bible, before verse 28, sits the title “The Day of the Lord.” It tells about how after restoration, the Lord pours...
View ArticleWhat Grace Can Do
Luke 19:1-10 Most short people I know would be happy to be even just a bit taller. Zacchaeus probably wanted that, too. Perhaps as he fought the crowd to see Jesus, he bemoaned again being vertically...
View ArticleOur Mark and Our Message
2 Corinthians 5:11-21 In preparation to attend a global youth conference in the late 1990s, I was tasked with memorizing the latter half of 2 Corinthians 5. Many Christ followers love the language of...
View ArticleRejoice In God’s Salvation
Psalm 118:15-24 What powerful, descriptive language the psalmist uses in Psalm 118! I encourage you to read it out loud and slowly. As you do, make the story and praises your own; consider the reality...
View ArticleTrue To His Promise
Ezekiel 37:1-6 Ezekiel spent time prophesying to the people of Israel exiled in Babylon in some pretty interesting ways. He cut off all of his hair, he acted out things in the streets, and he even...
View ArticlePromise of New Life
Ezekiel 37:7-14 I played soccer in college and sometimes at the end of practice we would run sprints. We would line up at one side of the field and run our hearts out to the other. We would give it...
View ArticleChange of Heart
Luke 15:20-27 Joyful or frustrated. These two opposing feelings are flowing through the story of the Prodigal Son. The father, who represents God, was joyful when he sees his younger son a long way...
View ArticleThe Third Person
Acts 1:1-11 I once received a drawing from one of the kids I pastored and it said, “I love God and Jesus.” I loved and appreciated the drawing, but it also reminded me that the Holy Spirit sometimes...
View ArticleAlert To The Spirit
Acts 8:26-40 As an athlete growing up I often heard the saying, “practice makes perfect.” I applied this to my soccer skill development where I would practice hard in hopes that my skills would become...
View ArticleCultivated Over Time
Romans 8:1-11 Life in the Spirit is not a promise of worldly, or even physical, comfort. However, there is peace of the soul to be found in the deep relationship with the Spirit. This peace helps us...
View ArticleFilled With The Spirit
Psalm 143:1-12 Have you ever watched a nature documentary where a time-lapse camera is set up in a dry river bed? In one season the ground is dry, cracked, as if it is crying out for relief only...
View ArticleAt Home With God
Ezekiel 43:1-9 The Bible is a testimony of God’s desire to hang out with His people. The Lord always wants to wash away sins and help us live right, but He also genuinely wants to be with us. The Lord...
View ArticleCan You See?
Ezekiel 47:1-6a Several times in Scripture the Lord asks, “Can you see?” It nearly never refers to physical sight but almost always to spiritual insight. About 64% of the world’s population, 4 billion...
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