SCRIPTURE John 13:35 – By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. JENNY Several years before I met Bill Gaines, I had a pretty good friend named Martin. Martin was divorced from his former wife, Jenny, and he had confided in me many stories about their…
SCRIPTURE John 13:21 – After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, “Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.” THE PLAN Although more than forty years have passed, I remember the exact day I began to recognize God’s plan for my life. I was fifteen years old and attending…
SCRIPTURE John 12:26 – Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. Is the Church under attack? I’ve been asked that question a lot lately. I remember no other time in this country when conspiracy theories were more apparent, but…
SCRIPTURE John 12:3 – Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ENCHANTING The wedding was glorious, but the reception can be described using only one word: enchanting. The entire space was brilliant…
SCRIPTURE Philippians 1:21-24 – For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me, yet I cannot say which I will choose. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is…
SCRIPTURE Philippians 1:3-5 – I thank my God for every remembrance of you, always in every one of my prayers for all of you, praying with joy for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. SATISFACTION Several years ago, I sat down and thought: “Ahhhh.” I didn’t sigh out loud, but…
SCRIPTURE Psalm 143:8 – Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. KERMIT As a child, I only knew one Kermit. He was small and green, and he sang songs and…
SCRIPTURE Ephesians 2:8-10 – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared…
SCRIPTURE Psalm 143:1 – Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness. A LEVEL PATH As I read the scriptures for today, I remembered when these texts last appeared in the lectionary. April 1, 2020 – we were three weeks into a phenomenon that would…
SCRIPTURE Psalm 130:5-6 – I wait for the LORD; my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. WORTH WAITING FOR Patiently waiting is not my go-to response when I want something to…