Confession time: Skip has really challenged me the past few weeks with his message about what family really is. Lately, we've made our family mission official (we always had one unspoken). We talked about our vision and how to accomplish the display of God's love and His mission through our daily lives. We have a new neighbor. When I say new, I really mean several months ...

I love being in God's word in the early morning, before I start my day. Nothing sets my mind and heart better than encouragement from Him and the men and women of the bible that came before me. I can't tell you how many times a passage that I read in the morning actually applies to my life later that very same day! Today is no different as I start another new assignment a...

"When Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table." Matthew 26:6-7 Mary was identified in John 12:3 as the woman who poured the costly perfume on Jesus. The word costly doesn't seem to explain the significance of the perfume's value becaus...

"whose heart stirred him" Ex 35:21 "whose heart moved them" Ex 35:22 "whose heart stirred" Ex 35:26 "whose heart moved them" Ex 35:29 I am sure you have heard the statement, "It's a heart issue" many times. I know when I have hear that statement it usually centered in obedience. Ex 35, is a good example for what it looks like when people are moved to obedience by their h...

38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, "What are you seeking?" And they said to him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"39 He said to them, "Come and you will see." So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. - John 1:38-39 "Come and you will see..." I'm the type of pe...

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:14 Full of Grace and truth... this is one of my favoriate descriptions of Jesus. Something I so long for in my life. Most of the time, I swing to the one side or the other in a skewed way. Full of harsh truth and delivering ...

"And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content." I Timothy 6: 8 In Matthew 21:33-39, Jesus tells a parable about a landowner who planted a vineyard. He rented it out to vine-growers who were thought to be reliable. The vine-growers agreed to pay a percentage of the proceeds to the landowner as rent. The remaining proceeds would be theirs for all their work ...

"And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai." Genesis 16:2 Genesis 16:2 says "Sarai, Abram's wife had born him no children" Sarai had been childless for 10 years and since it was a custom of the day, she could get a child by using her own maid servant. So, "Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife," Gen 16:3. Scripture does not ...

"Redeem me from the oppression of man that I may keep your precepts." Psalm 119:134 I feel there needs to be a disclaimer on my blog with all that's happening in the news the last few days. This is not a political statement at all. This is something God put on my heart several weeks ago. Since retiring, Diana and I spent a lot of time in the car while traveling. We found...

1 Samuel 15 How easy is it to be self deceived. We are given instruction by the Lord then only partially obey. Yet we are quick to point out reasons for not obeying fully. We blame others or we rationalize with ourselves and the Lord that we know best. Although there are consequences to our sin and disobedience we should be ever so thankful the Lord does not deal with us ...