Scripture: Isaiah 49:13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his suffering ones. Thought for the Day: I remember being a bit stunned when a woman said to me, “I’m glad the Lord has compassion for them (referring to a group of people she didn’t like), for I
Scripture: Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. Thought for the Day: CS Lewis once wrote that the greatest thing about happiness is that it liberates us from thinking about happiness. It took me two readings of those words to gain a perspective on what he was saying. I think about people who try to find
Scripture: Matthew 7:24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. Thought for the Day: How can we make sure that others will hear the good news that has meant so much to us? How will they learn to build their houses on the solid rock? But even more importantly, who will
Thought for the Day: Thomas Merton was one of the great 20th century mystics and writers. He is one of those people whose works could produce a thought-provoking quote for every day of the year. I saw this one come across Facebook the other day, and it caught my attention. Merton wrote, And the deepest level of communication is not communication, but communion. It is wordless. It is
Scripture: Proverbs 19:21 The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established. Thought for the Day: In yesterday’s prayer of blessing for all those who nurture our children, I prayed, “…God, you reveal the boundless character of your love that begins to dismantle those fraudulent and phony limitation that have convinced far too many young people that they
Scripture: 1st Corinthians 4:1 (the Message) Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s most sublime secrets, not security guards posted to protect them Thought for the Day: There have been so many amazing teachers, mentors and guides along my life journey. Many of them were incredibly smart folks, but those who had the
Scripture: Psalm 25:8-10 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. Thought for the Day: Khalil Gibran was an artist and poet in the early 20th century, and through
Scripture: Proverbs 15:18 Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife, but those who are slow to anger calm contention. Thought for the Day: These particular words seemed to have great relevance to my trip to the office the other morning. As I was approaching a light, it turned yellow. I could have accelerated and made it through as it was turning red, but I chose to stop. By
Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 5:2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Thought for the Day: I read on Facebook not long ago a marvelous quote from the great Fred Craddock. He said, “Many people are obsessed with the second coming because, deep down, they were really disappointed in the first one.” I might have initially
Scripture: Acts 13:47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” Thought for the Day: Though the term ‘salvation’ is often associated with the future or the afterlife, the Gospel writers (remember that Acts was written by the same person who wrote Luke) look at