The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…Isaiah 61:1 In the lowest times of my life—times of despair, times of loss, times of pain—I often reflect on the words of Isaiah in chapter 61, verses 1-3: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day o

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:5 This beautiful word, "ABIDE," in the context of this passage, is a word of action of no specific duration. To abide is necessary, and it is to be done vigorously. More often, this word is translated as remain, but abide, to me, connotes something much deeper. Abide is a quietly powerful word that bridges deep endurance with a gentle belon

Pull up a chair, friend. Pour yourself a fresh cup of coffee, take a deep breath, and let’s just be real for a minute. Have you ever had a season where the life you were living didn't match the life you expected? Where you looked at your circumstances, your losses, or even the people around you, and felt a quiet, cold and heavy ache settle into your chest? That ache has a name: disillusionment. By definition, disillusionment is a feeling of disappointment resulting from the d

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezekiel 36:26-27 When was the last time you read through the major and minor prophets in the Bible? It’s not a section I come to often, but I recently worked my way through most of the Bible with The Bible Project (if you haven’t heard of them, look t

Freedom in Christ is not about political voice or social acceptance. It does not refer to physical chains or economic repression. It is about redemption. It is about salvation. It is about eternity. Everyone who sins is a slave to sin. A slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. And if the Son has made you free... You are free indeed! Happy Independence Day! John 8:36

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 There are many commands in the Bible that seem difficult to follow. A friend loves at ALL times (Prov 17:17) Pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17) Be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16) Live in unity (Eph 4:3) Be completely humble and gentle, be patient (Eph 4:2) Value others over yourself (Phil 2:3) God knows that it is difficult for humans to follow in His perfect

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6) My husband squeezed my hand, settling in by my side at the doctor’s office, as the sonographer prepared to perform the first ultrasound of my second pregnancy. The mood was light and friendly. The sonographer and I went to high school together, played basketball and volleyball, and she had also been our tec

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives strength to the weary, and to the one who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and

"From everyone to whom much was given, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:48 As a mom to a teenage son who has loved Spider-Man for as long as I can remember, I’ve seen firsthand how some stories stick with us—not just as entertainment, but as life lessons. Peter Parker’s iconic phrase, “With great power comes great responsibility,” has echoed through our home for years. I would like to believe the comic

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 The Children of Israel were returning from exile. Nehemiah, cupbearer to the King of Persia, would be a leader in the repatriation efforts. Reconstruction of the walls of the city was necessary, but resistance from local governments threatened their work. Nehemiah armed the construction crews. On the first day of the 7th month, the people celebrated the Feast of Temples. A week before, the walls of the city had been comple

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments are to be written upon your heart. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk on the road. Write them on the doorframes of your houses. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Reminders! Our lives are so full, our attention so stretched that a whole industry—Post-it Notes—was created to help us focus on what we need to remember. Ha! Nothing n

Jesus had announced on the cross that His physical work on Earth was done: "It is finished." After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3 He was not going to physically stay here on Earth. He told Mary, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Fat

It was days after the crucifixion and the resurrection. Simon Peter, Thomas, James, John, and two other disciples of Jesus were all together when Peter announced, “I’m going fishing.” “We’ll come with you,” the others said to him. So they went out in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and fished all night but did not catch a thing.” (John 21:1-4) Why might Peter decide to go fishing at this point in time? He was not considering returning to his old profession. But perhaps he was se

In Luke 24, we are told of an amazing interaction between the resurrected Jesus and two very sad followers who were leaving Jerusalem and heading to their home city. Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recogniz

“Let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you into myself that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go, you know and the way you know.” And Thomas said, “ Lord, we don’t know where you are going. So how can we know the way?” And Jesus said to him, “I a

In John 19:30, John records Jesus’ final words from the cross. In the original Greek, it is one powerful word: tetelestai. In our English Bibles, it is translated into three words: “It is finished.” According to Strong’s Greek Concordance, tetelestai comes from the root word teleō, which carries three meanings: “to end or finish,” “to fulfill or accomplish,” and “to pay.” These meanings reveal the fullness of what Jesus proclaimed from the cross. The work the Father had given

"All the prophets testify about him the everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” Acts 10:43 We all know that the story of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is one of the most profound expressions of love and forgiveness the world has ever known. In that moment, which was marked by betrayal, pain, and unimaginable suffering, Jesus spoke these words that continue to touch our hearts throughout time: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know wh

But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) Luke 23:18-19 We have many stories in the Bible from the week leading up to Jesus’ death. Stories about people he interacted with, places he went in Jerusalem, and people's responses to him. Through the Lenten season, our blog has been walking through some of these events, spotlighting key events and people. One

When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Is it I, Lord?” Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” Th