Re-joyce

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me…to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. (Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV) Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:ContinueContinue reading “Re-joyce”

Don’t be a Pain

 Jabez was a better man than his brothers, a man of honor. His mother had named him Jabez (Oh, the pain!), saying, “A painful birth! I bore him in great pain!” Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Bless me, O bless me! Give me land, large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection—don’tContinueContinue reading “Don’t be a Pain”

Death is Not the End

A man by the name of Lazarus was sick in the village of Bethany. He had two sisters, Mary and Martha. This was the same Mary who later poured perfume on the Lord’s head and wiped his feet with her hair. The sisters sent a message to the Lord and told him that his good friendContinueContinue reading “Death is Not the End”

Don’t Run Away

“That same day, two of them were walking to the village Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem. They were deep in conversation, going over all these things that had happened. In the middle of their discussion, Jesus appeared and walked along with them. But they were not able to recognize who he was. HeContinueContinue reading “Don’t Run Away”

See a Need, Meet a Need

The man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God. Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God. They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple’s Gate Beautiful and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing. The man threw his armsContinueContinue reading “See a Need, Meet a Need”

Rise After Falling

“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:21 NIV) I’m a firm believer in God’s power to resurrect anything and anyone (just read Rise Again!). But for Him to do that He often allows us to experience a death of sorts. There are probablyContinueContinue reading “Rise After Falling”

Lord of Life

“I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25 NIV) There’s a common theme in every resurrection story we read about in the Bible. After funeral arrangements were made and some of the dead were ready to be buried (or were already buried), Jesus came along and disrupted the funeral progression. The son of theContinueContinue reading “Lord of Life”

Lost and Restored

God, your God, will restore everything you lost. (Deuteronomy 30:3 MSG) God is a restorer. From restoring people who have wondered far away from Him to restoring our peace, hope and joy and right down to trivial matters, nothing is a lost cause for Him. Restoration is what He specializes in. He is a giverContinueContinue reading “Lost and Restored”