Scripture: John 17:13-26 13 But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong... Continue Reading →
Text for the Week: The Model Prayer
Scripture: Matthew 6:7-15 7 “When you pray, don’t pour out a flood of empty words, as the Gentiles do. They think that by saying many words they’ll be heard. 8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask. 9 Pray like this: Our Father who is in heaven, uphold the holiness of... Continue Reading →
Text for the Week: The Hypocrite’s Horn
Scripture: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 “Be careful that you don’t practice your religion in front of people to draw their attention. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Whenever you give to the poor, don’t blow your trumpet as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the... Continue Reading →
Lenten Devotional- Prayer
Scripture Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.... Continue Reading →
Text for the Week: Devoted to Prayer
Scripture: Colossians 4:2-6 2 Keep on praying and guard your prayers with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray for us also. Pray that God would open a door for the word so we can preach the secret plan of Christ—which is why I’m in chains. 4 Pray that I might be able to make it as clear... Continue Reading →
Text for the Week: Reflecting Wholeness
Scripture: Mark 1:29-39 29 After leaving the synagogue, Jesus, James, and John went home with Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed, sick with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. 31 He went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she served them.... Continue Reading →
Lord, Speak to Me!
I see this meme frequently and on one hand there is truth in it that Scripture is a record of humanity's interaction with God and within it we find the most accurate revelations of God's nature, character, and desires for the world. This after all is why we refer to Scripture as "canon" - the... Continue Reading →
Text for the Week: A Promise to Pray
Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20 10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and his powerful strength. 11 Put on God’s armor so that you can make a stand against the tricks of the devil. 12 We aren’t fighting against human enemies but against rulers, authorities, forces of cosmic darkness, and spiritual powers of evil in the heavens. 13 Therefore, pick up... Continue Reading →
We Need the Spirit
Recently I had a brief interaction with an individual because a mutual friend was celebrating his opportunity to study and posted a picture of a large stack of books. This friend is a pastor and the woman commented that what the Church needs is the Holy Spirit, implying that my friend was wasting his time... Continue Reading →
Healing the Community
I was relaxing on the couch last Sunday afternoon when a friend sent me a link to a news story about a Texas pastor killed in a church shooting. It was tragic to hear about Rev. Mark Allen McWilliams, but I admittedly found my ability to show compassion hampered. The article revealed that he had... Continue Reading →
Squinting in the Light 