But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. (1 Cor. 15:10) She got up to read the assigned reading for Sunday’s worship. When she got to the line above, she faltered. She struggled to breathe. Tears began to roll down her …
Month: March 2019
Coffee With Jesus
In the morning, while it was still very dark, [Jesus] got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. (Mk. 1:35) For many years my spiritual advisor was a monk. His name was Tom. Although I haven’t worked with him for many years, I’m still drawing from our times together. …
God is Father of All
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all… (Eph. 4:4-5) The vets from the jail’s reentry program wanted to talk about acceptance because they were breaking down into cliques and factions …
A Royal Priesthood
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people… (1 Pt. 2:9) For 30 years I encouraged people to become “the priesthood of all believers.” Go find your pulpit—those places where you can share good news. Go find your altar—those places where you can lift up ordinary things …
Rejoice And Be Glad
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Ps. 118:24) I met Gerald when I started working in downtown Houston. He was always sitting near the entrance at my parking garage. After nodding at each other for a few weeks, we introduced ourselves and started …
Living More Fully With Christ
We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might live no longer be enslaved to sin…. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (Rom. 6:6,8) Just after finishing my visit with 35 …
Make a Difference for Jesus
And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas son of …
Facing Our Inner Battles
For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. (Rom. 7:18-19) At the end of the Bible study …
Look For The Kingdom of God
[Jesus] put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs…’ (Mt. 13:31-32) I was out of town teaching. When I called back to …
Jesus Overturning The “Tables”
Then they came to Jerusalem. And [Jesus] entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves… (Mk. 1:15) The most unpopular thing I did in 30 years …