Scripture: Acts 12:1-4 About that time King Herod began to harass some who belonged to the church. He had James, John’s brother, killed with a sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he arrested Peter as well. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. He put Peter in prison, handing him over to four squads of soldiers, sixteen in all, who guarded him. He planned
Scripture: 1 John 3:16 This is how we know love: Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. Thought for the Day: There are a handful of passages that, in my opinion, summarize the whole of Christianity…what it means to follow Jesus. This passage is one of them. Humanity has a tendency to redefine love in
Scripture: John 4:54 This was the second miraculous sign Jesus did while going from Judea to Galilee. Thought for the Day: In John’s Gospel, miracles are referred to as signs. This is important, for the Gospel writer is suggesting that Jesus has no interest in being a crowd pleasing magician. It is not about the spectacular stuff he does, but what these signs reveal. Each of the signs
Scripture: Philippians 2:3-4 Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others. Thought for the Day: This is one of those First World Pastor Problems, but yesterday after doing a hospital visit in the Woodlands, I drove down to the Medical Center. I
Scripture: John 6:38 (the Message) I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me. Thought for the Day: This morning I offer these words from the translation known as the Message. This is a translation/paraphrase done by Eugene Peterson. Yesterday, Eugene Peterson died at the age of 85. He was a scholar and a pastor
Prayer for the Week: There is a richness to your creation, O Gentle and Merciful God. There is beauty to what the world would often call strange or odd or weird, A beauty that does not always lie in the eye of the human beholder, but in you, O God, who be-holds us
Scripture: 1st Peter 4:8 Above all, show sincere love to each other, because love brings about the forgiveness of many sins. Thought for the Day: I’m preaching on 1st Peter 4 this morning. I was curious in regard to the phrase, “sincere love,” as I don’t believe there is insincere love. If it is insincere, it is not love. Period! It might pretend to be, but it’s not.
Scripture: Proverbs 18:13 Those who answer before they listen are foolish and disgraceful. Thought for the Day: I would agree with the author of the Proverb, though I would add that it is not just foolish and disgraceful, but unhelpful and potentially hurtful. I slipped away to Camp Allen (Episcopal Retreat Center) for two nights of study and prayer. The first thing I did was reread Anne Lamott’s
Scripture: 1st Peter 2:5 You yourselves are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple. You are being made into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Thought for the Day: The image of a stone was used in the previous verse in reference to Jesus, but here we are described as being built like living stones. The
Scripture: Matthew 6:2-4 Whenever you give to the poor, don’t blow your trumpet as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they may get praise from people. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that you may give to the poor