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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Take a moment to think: Have you ever been wrong about anything? Now think again: Have you ever been right about something? Now think one more time: Have you ever been very, very wrong about something, but at the moment, you thought you were...
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A series of eight posts will be published to correlate with the free Ephesians study guide. This is the first. Are you one of those people who sometimes laughs at inappropriate moments? I am one of those people. For some reason, things that are...
Read moreTeaching Sunday School? Leading a small group? Looking for a personal devotional? The beta version of the eight-week Ephesians study guide is available here: E P H E S I A N S Study Guide by Emily McEntyre I print these out, three-hole punch...
Read moreI’m pretty sure if you’d asked me in 1985 what 40 was going to look like, I would have thought this: And in an age of no sunscreen, no cosmetics, hard labor, and a dozen or more children, that’s probably what it would have been...
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