Light
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12, NIV) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5, NIV) “You are the light of the world. A town built […]
A Legacy of Servanthood
To serve or be served that is the question. Forgive my Shakespearean paraphrase, but I think the question bears asking. As followers of Christ where do we lay on the scales of self-offering? Have we grown fat on the junk food of self-indulgent quests that lead to a bloated yet empty existence? We seek for […]
Hope
Sometimes hope is elusive, obscured by unexpected circumstances that shake our world and rattle our resolve. In those moments of high stress (sickness, job insecurity, financial woes, societal upheaval, loss of a loved one) the vice of living can squeeze so tightly, that we feel we cannot breathe. It is in the dark moments; we […]
To God Be The Glory!
Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. (Psalm 29:1-2, NIV). This morning as I was watering our potted plants in the backyard, I was awed by the beauty of the […]
Adopt An Attitude of Gratitude
When I think of worship I automatically move to thanksgiving. When we come into God’s presence, we bring our offerings of gratitude and praise. We are called to be thankful even in difficult circumstances. The psalms are filled with many songs of praise and thanksgiving, as are our hymns and more modern worship songs. Psalm […]
How Does Your Garden Grow?
For most of my married life I have enjoyed vegetable gardening. Not the multi-acre gardens I remember growing up on a farm in rural Conecuh County, Alabama, but a small, manageable plot that supplements our food source with delectable fresh produce. Harvests of green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cabbage and the like […]
Living In Darkness
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. John 8:12. Recently I was doing some yard work. The afternoon soon turned to dusk, but I worked on to finish up the project at hand. I had enough light […]
Embracing the Uncertain
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV). This verse has more depth the older I become. When we are young, we are more likely to take risks, jump in the deep end canon ball style, and […]
Words
Words. Words bring comfort, convey our inner thoughts, share hope, recognize achievement, encourage steadfastness, strengthen resolve. Words can also decimate and devour dreams, puncture passions, exhaust endeavors, depress desires, crush creativity, flatten and obliterate optimism. As I prepared to write this article today, I did a bit of research on quotes about “words.” Here […]
He Will Hold Me Fast: The Story Behind The Song
New Words Written by Matthew Merker/Arr. Phillip Keveren This Sunday we will sing “He Will Hold Me Fast” in worship. This is still a relatively new song in our worship vocabulary but rich in meaning! Often in our faith journey we are quick to give “Sunday School” answers to questions that need deeper reflection. My […]