Experiencing God’s encouragement

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT). “Don’t waste your pain, let God heal it, recycle it, utilize it and use it to

Personality, toothpaste and unmade beds

“Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength’” (Mark 12:30 NKJV). When Robin and I were first married there was a difference in our bathroom and

What kind of work is holy?

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15 NIV). “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1

Sympathetic resonance and human heart strings

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4 ESV). “Sympathetic resonance or sympathetic vibration is a harmonic phenomenon wherein a formerly passive string or vibratory body responds to external vibrations to which it has a harmonic likeness.” – Wikipedia I have been a lifelong student of

Shaped for Significance

“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made,

My annual appointment with Jesus

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them” (Matthew 28:16 NKJV). I started going “away” for an annual retreat at the end of the year around 15 years ago. I have found it to be one of the wisest practices in my life. It gives me

Going over to Bethlehem

“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us’” (Luke 2:15 ESV). Robin and I had the privilege of visiting the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem this past summer

Do the opposite

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:” (Isaiah 9:6 KJV). I started watching the sitcom “Seinfeld” only after it went into syndication. I guess the daily dose of reruns finally got me interested. If you know anything about the show, you know that the character played by Jason Alexander, is

Don’t let the Grinch steal your Christmas!

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” (Isaiah 55:2 ESV). Now, before you panic

Who will win the battle for your worship?

“And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11 ESV). The word “worship” comes from the Middle English, “weorthscipe,” literally meaning to “ascribe worth.” We were created to worship. From dandelions to dinosaurs, no