Scripture: Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Thought for the Day: A friend of mine used to always say when something bothered him, “That really kicks me in the craw!” I’m pretty certain he was mixing up two separate idioms, but I think I understand what he was trying to say. And in fact, the above passage has really been kicking me
Scripture: John 1:45-46 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Thought for the Day: I’m not a fan of rats. Actually, I can probably state that a bit more
Scripture: Proverbs 12:17 Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness speaks deceitfully. Thought for the Day: A while back, my son and I were watching TV when a commercial came on for a new cream to get rid of stretch marks. I jokingly asked Zach, “Do I need to get some of that?” He said with all seriousness, “Just for your face.” You always
Scripture: Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Thought for the Day: I’m guessing most every person, religious and non-religious, has heard those words of scripture. The first verse is a statement of faith or profession of faith. In the ancient world, kings were often referred to as the shepherd of their people. They had great authority, and many were viewed as divine agents
Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-6 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the
Scripture: Romans 14:19 Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Thought for the Day: On this day in 1148AD, the Siege on Damascus came to an end during what would be known as the Second Crusade. The Crusaders went to the Holy Land under the direction of Pope Eugene III, believing that God would provide them a victory. The attack on Damascus was
Scripture: 2nd Samuel 3:1 There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. Thought for the Day: Last Sunday, I talked about how the relationship between Saul and David was complicated, but even after Saul’s death, the relationship remained complicated. The house of Saul struggled to hold power,
Scripture: Philippians 1:9-11 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. Thought for the Day: Yesterday during the 8:15
Scripture: Matthew 9:27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” Thought for the Day: There were many who referred to Jesus using the title Son of David. There was no way Jesus was the Son of David as there was a gap of a thousand years between the two men. Yet in the ancient world,
Scripture: Exodus 40:36-38 Whenever the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out on each stage of their journey; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, before the eyes