A LONGING IN STONE                                       Deuteronomy 34:1–5 I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it. Deuteronomy 34:4  “Ah, every pier is a longing in stone!” says a line in Fernando Pessoa’s Portuguese poem “Ode Marítima.” Pessoa’s pier represents the emotions we feel as a ship moves slowly […]

AN ALTERNATIVE TO WORRY                 Matthew 6:25–34 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:27 A law-abiding, honest man received a voicemail that said, “This is officer _______ from the police department. Please call me at this number.” Immediately the man began to worry—afraid that somehow he had […]

“SO HELPFUL”                                 Read: 1 Peter 4:7–11  Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:13 The caller to the Christian radio station said that his wife was coming home from the hospital following surgery. Then he shared something that spoke deeply to my heart: “Everyone in our church family has been so helpful […]

WISELY WEEDING                                              Psalm 139:1–6, 23–24  Search me, God, and know my heart. Psalm 139:23 My grandchildren are running around my backyard. Playing games? No, pulling weeds. “Pulling them up by the roots!” the youngest says, showing me a hefty prize. Her delight as we tackled weeds that day was how much we enjoyed plucking the weedy […]

GOT YOUR NOSE                                      Exodus 12:12–19  I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. Exodus 12:12 “Why are the statues’ noses broken?” That’s the number one question visitors ask Edward Bleiberg, curator of Egyptian art at the Brooklyn Museum. Bleiberg can’t blame it on normal wear and tear; even two-dimensional painted figures are missing […]

FACING THE BATTLES WITH GOD                              Psalm 11  In the Lord I take refuge. Psalm 11:1 The heroic deeds of US Army soldier Desmond Doss are featured in the 2016 movie Hacksaw Ridge. While Doss’ convictions wouldn’t allow him to take human life, as an army medic he committed himself to preserving life even at the risk of […]

THE ONE AND ONLY SAVIOUR!                       Acts 2:22-24 (KJV)  “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” – (Acts 4:12) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from […]

HOSTING ROYALTY                                                     Galatians 3:26–29  So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. Galatians 3:26 After meeting the Queen of England at a ball in Scotland, Sylvia and her husband received a message that the royal family would like to visit them for tea. Sylvia started cleaning and prepping, nervous about hosting the […]

WHO IS HE?                                                        Psalm 24 Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—he is the King of glory. Psalm 24:10 On our way home from our honeymoon, my husband and I waited to check in our luggage at the airport. I nudged him and pointed to a man standing a few feet away. […]

NEED A NEW HEART?                    Ezekiel 36:24–27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. Ezekiel 36:26 The news was grim. My father had been having chest pains, so his doctor ordered a test to peer into his heart. The result? Blockage found in three arteries. Triple-bypass surgery was scheduled […]