Month: May 2018

Digging in Deeper: Habakkuk 3:17-18

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“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Have you experienced something disappointing yet today?  Not to start you off on a downer here, but the odds are pretty good that you will.  It may be a small disappointment–the parking space you were really hoping to be able to nab gets filled at the last minute.  It may be a big disappointment–someone close to you fails in some significant way.  Or, more likely, the disappointment will fall somewhere in between these two ends.  Whatever exactly is the extent of the disappointment, you are probably going to face one before the day is out. Read the rest…

Morning Musing: John 11:33

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“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Two verses over from this one is the shortest verse in the Bible: Jesus wept.  Here, we are told He was deeply moved and greatly troubled.  Basically, Jesus was really emotional.  This provides fodder for some theological pondering, which is fine, but it should also be really encouraging for us.  Here’s why. Read the rest…

Keep Standing

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In this final part of our Esther teaching series, Stand Up: How to Fight Injustice, we are reminded that since injustice never sleeps, we can’t either.  Over the course of this conversation I offer four ways we can make sure our lives are always ready to fight injustice.  Keep reading to find out what they are.

 

Keep Standing

Last weekend was the annual Relay for Life Walk event.  While it has gotten pared back a bit over the years, the original vision for the event was for it to last for a full 24-hours.  One of the original slogans that accompanied the all-night walk was that we could walk throughout the night because “cancer never sleeps.”  The big idea here is that cancer is always on and so we must be also.  We must be ever vigilant to halt its life-stealing advance.  Because it never takes a day-off, we can’t either.  This kind of militaristic sentiment works for a while, but eventually people start to get tired.  Sometimes the very advances to which their support of cancer research has contributed allows some folks to relax a bit and let up on the pressure.  It’s tough to stay motivated to support a single cause for a long period of time. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Daniel 6:10-11

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“When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem.  He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.  Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Daniel had been doing this three times a day in this same place for years.  This time, though, had to feel a bit different.  This was the first time he knew he was actively breaking the law by doing it.  And yet, the place and the pattern were both well-worn in his life.  At the time to which he was very much accustomed, Daniel got down on his knees in front of the window in his upper room and prayed.  Shortly afterwards–as he knew would happen–he was arrested and hauled before the king. Read the rest…