Because we have been made righteous by faith, we are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is through him, and through faith in him, that we have been brought into the grace in which we stand. This is why we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And,...... Read More

Wherever you go, I will go. Ruth 1:16b. Like all humans, I love numbers, measurements, and statistics. How did I do on the exam? What was the score of the Lions game (OK, maybe not that)? What’s the unemployment rate, my raise for this year, the percentage of people with health insurance or bald spots?...... Read More

Now David was deeply troubled because his men talked of stoning him; but he strengthened himself in the Lord (1 Sam. 30:6). Therefore, I will gladly boast all the more of my weaknesses (2 Cor. 12:9). ______________________________________________________________________________ Last time we met, the conclusion to our introduction was to ask if we are prepared for a...... Read More

No longer do I call you servants, but friends; for everything that I have heard from the Father I will declare to you. John 15:15 How do you do the friend thing? Are you a BFF kind of person, with one or two people who are really close to you? Or do you engage a...... Read More

As for me, to be near to God is my happiness. Pss. 73:28 One of the interesting things about watching people relate to each other is what kind of space or distance they maintain while interacting. Sometimes there’s barely a hair’s breadth of separation (as it was among my Italian relatives and Jewish friends). Boundaries...... Read More

A slave does not remain in the household, but the children belong to it forever. John 8:36 In case you weren’t around, I had a cranky week to begin the month of May. Our new home is missing any semblance of landscaping, and the weather has prevented the situation from improving. Several encounters with customer...... Read More

4 The goodness and kindness of God our savior appeared to save us, not because we did anything righteous, but because he is merciful. He cleansed us, made us alive, and created us anew by the Holy Spirit, whom he gives to us without measure. This is all through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, who makes...... Read More

This is what the Lord says: “The wise should not boast in their wisdom, the powerful in their power, or the rich in their riches. Let anyone who desires to boast boast in this: that they know me and understand that I am the Lord who reveals steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth,...... Read More

In all their afflictions he was afflicted, and the angel of the Lord carried them. (Is. 63:9). I’ve spent two posts tip-toeing up to and around this question of what is real and how we can tend to escape into fantasy rather than live in reality – the reality of who we are, what we...... Read More

The Father’s relentless, gracious pursuit of us is meant to deliver us from our consuming desire to love and serve ourselves above everything else. I don’t think that it would be shocking or controversial for me to say that Jesus is not particularly tolerant of unbelief or that he strongly opposes our indulging in or...... Read More