Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. (Ps. 96:9) I recently led a workshop on Emotional Intelligence at the sheriff’s academy. Before starting to present the material, I asked the participants what it was like to be police officers these days. They were very forthcoming about all the strains, …
Category: Spirituality
Jesus at Our Side
But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.' Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased.(Mark …
Faith Lost and Then Found Again
Then Job answered the Lord: ‘I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted…. Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.’ (Job 42:1-3) His name was Will. He was a retired clergy person who …
Formed, Known, Consecrated, and Appointed by God
Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ (Jer. 1:4-5) Most of us grew up hearing these words: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but …
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God’s Purpose for Us
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Rom. 8:28) Why are we here? What gives meaning to our life? What gets us out of bed in the morning? What helps us to sleep at night? Simply put: What is our purpose? …
God’s Breath Gives Us Life
…then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. (Gen. 2:7) I was a competitive swimmer in high school. In order to stay in shape during the off-season, our coach encouraged us to become lifeguards. …
Companions of Jesus
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. (Acts 4:13) On the Day of Pentecost 3,000 people were baptized. The crowds became very curious about the disciples speaking in their own languages. They …
Delighting God’s Heart
No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.’ (Acts 2:16-17) I will …
Alive in Christ Jesus
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us… (Heb. 12:1) I spent a lot of time in a graveyard as a boy. On Thursday …
God’s Grace Can Heal Your Heart
Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice... (Eph. 4:31) Let me call her Eleanor. She was in her seventies. I visited her every month. We would read scripture, pray, share communion together, and then she would launch into bitterly complaining about her mother. During …