Second Corinthians 5:17, a very familiar verse to many Christians, says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” We normally see this as a verse discussing the point of our salvation or baptism. We read...
Consider some scenarios about conversations with my toddlers: If they would ask me to let them play with a buzz saw, I would obviously say, “No.” No explanation would be necessary; they wouldn’t understand it anyway. My negative response would just have to be sufficient because of my...
I attended a women’s conference recently and one of the songs we sang during the opening worship was an old spiritual I hadn’t heard in a long time. Jesus, I’ll never forget what You’ve done for me. Jesus, I’ll never forget how You set me free. Jesus, I’ll never forget how You...
When Hezekiah was king, he encouraged and led all of Israel and Judah to turn completely back to the Lord starting with keeping the Passover. Since this hadn’t been done in such a long time, he had to postpone the celebration for one month because there weren’t enough priests...
Ezra the prophet enjoyed the favor of the Persian King Artaxerxes. The king had placed satraps and governors over Jerusalem, but he wrote a letter to them stating that he was allowing Ezra to lead a delegation back to the city to rebuild the temple. He realized he needed to show...
#HeartForTheWord When I’m teaching my English students about crafting conclusions to their compositions, I tell them a poignant statement I once read: Any writer can stop writing; great writers finish. Then I turn their attention to A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens as the...
People usually use the phrase “get the hell out” in a derogatory manner. They are most often shouting it to someone whose company they no long desire. However today, believe it or not, I discovered a new use of the phrase from the words of the writer of the 86th division of the...
