When we put our home on the market last year, our realtor suggested adding “a little color” to the front of the house. It was early March, and we agreed. The daffodils had already come and gone, the azaleas were still a few weeks off, and the...
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You may be familiar with Elisabeth Elliot. Perhaps you’ve heard of Jim Elliot, Elisabeth’s husband who was martyred in Ecuador in 1956. Maybe you’ve read one of Elliot’s many books, like Passion and Purity, Through Gates...
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When Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, he was likely shackled to a Roman soldier. Perhaps this provided some inspiration for his “armor of God” illustration (chapter 6). Along with armor, Paul encourages his friends in Ephesus...
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Ephesians 5:15-16 is both daunting and exciting: “be careful how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” No pressure, right? All we need to do is walk wisely AND redeem the time. But I...
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Kyrie Eleison — “Lord, have mercy.” This was the cry of the Canaanite woman — a Gentile woman who had no “right” to seek the healing mercy of Jesus on behalf of her daughter, but sought it anyway. (Mt. 15:22...
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Martin Luther was a young lawyer in Germany who committed his life to the monastic priesthood after God saved him from lightning storm. As a monk, Luther continuously sought favor from God by performing rigorous penance (after penance…after...
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I love the passage for this week – the second half of Ephesians four. Even though it talks about what about “what not to do,” it also gives a clear picture of building. It talks about building our new lives in Christ and helping...
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One thing I really appreciate about having grown up in a small town is that, like it or not, I lived in close community with all kinds of different people. I saw the same people at the grocery store, at school, at church, at the pool, at my...
Read moreSometimes it’s helpful to remind myself about the hardships others have endured. In this week’s reading, Paul mentions his imprisonment. He was also shipwrecked, beaten, and eventually killed. Those are very discouraging...
Read moreThis Ephesians 2:3 description of sin, “We all did what we felt like doing,” keeps ringing in my ears. It has so many applications: I felt like eating seven donuts. I felt like yelling at my kids. I felt like cutting off that person...
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God is amazing, right? But sometimes the stuff in front of us and around us is so all-consuming, we feel like God is a pleasant, but slightly anti-climactic add-on. The mayo on our sandwich. The salt on our grits. Knowing the God of the...
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It probably goes without saying that this question, “In which areas are you most needy?” is not one to use while breaking the ice at a social event. Dale Carnegie did not recommend this approach. But I did think about that question as I was...
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