Like Israel, we can get so focused on what we want God to do for us tomorrow that we miss what he’s doing for us today. The wilderness, for Israel and for us, is not a place between destinations but a part of the journey. A place where God leads and provides and reveals himself to his people....
When Job lost everything, as was custom, he sat in ashes (Job 2:8). Our culture avoids such blatant expressions of grief. We don’t like to wallow. But the intentionality of the symbol is powerful. Job didn’t pretend all was well when it wasn’t, nor should we. ...
The first things that comes to our minds when we hear the word “idolatry” are typically little statues, golden calves, and ancient religion. Those are idols of course, but that is far too narrow of a view....
The call to love our neighbor can often be a struggle. Let's face it; some people are easier to love than others. As a result, we often strive to ensure our neighbors look and think a lot like us. It may not be a conscious effort. After all, it's only "natural" to avoid relationships with those who are more challenging to be around. ...
As we reflect on the earthly ministry of Jesus and the road he took to the cross, it is essential we remember why he had to come. Sin—our sin—is not something to be taken lightly. God certainly does not....
What are you giving up for Lent? Wouldn't it be nice if we could answer, "sin"? But we are like Paul, who confessed, "For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it" (Rom 7:18 CSB). ...
“Where are you?” God’s first response to Adam and Eve’s sin was not disappointment nor vengeance but a question, an invitation to connection. Ashamed and covered, Adam and Eve came to God with a never-before-felt tension. They were caught....
"Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist speaking to Mary upon her arrival for a visit, 'As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy'" (Luke 1:44). What untold joys await those with ears to hear....
When I was a kid, I thought KAOS was simply the name of an international organization of evil with the goal of world domination, make believe from the old TV show Get Smart. I didn’t know as a young child it was a play on the word chaos. Not all children are able to be as blissfully unaware of chaos as I was but all of us in our teen years, if not for sure by adulthood, know the stress and chaos of everyday life. The seasons, long and short, of the complete lack of peace....
"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!" (Luke 2:14 CSB)...
Connecting new life in Christ to clothing has its limits, but what we find in scripture about the resurrection and what this brings to our lives, is immeasurable. Easter reminds us to celebrate all that God makes new....
Every birth is a miracle, and every child is a “Gift from God.” But centuries ago, the miracle of miracles occurred. A baby was born....
Why weren’t there others equally curious enough to follow this strange star? ...
Isaiah 9:6 announces Jesus as the Prince of Peace. And Isaiah proclaims that he is born to us, that this son is being given to us. Jesus – and by extension, his peace – is for us, in every sense. ...
The angel said to Mary, “…behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:31-33). ...
Sheep wander the lowland darkness, nibbling at the hardwoods that grow among the bogs and the burnt hollows. An impossible ridge separates them from green meadows, azure pools, and the golden throne of God, and the flock knows it not. Wolves also wander there. And we, the sheep, follow in their wolvery....
At this time of year spring is showing itself everywhere. Even the word Lent itself means spring, and the Lenten season has been described as a 40-day springtime for the soul....
King David had enemies who wanted to kill him. He poured out his heart in this song, the first of seven penitential psalms, and though I am not a warrior with adversaries in pursuit, I know what it is like to be grievously misunderstood. At night, while trying in vain to sleep, the unfairness of it all brings copious tears, prompts twisting of the sheets and grappling with pillows....
David starts out this psalm on a high note. He doesn’t muddle around with eyes downcast as he considers his failures and those of his people. Per the Living Translation, “O what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven; whose sin is put out of sight!” (vv.1-2) Wow, talk about skipping straight to dessert......
In Psalm 130, the writer pours out his anguish for his sins against almighty God, along with his urgent request for mercy. “If you, O Lord should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand,” the psalmist says in despair....
"He regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer" (Ps 102:17)...
This Christmas looks different, an empty seat where my grandfather sat. Another Christmas feels “off,” again in the shadow of the pandemic......
Peace is a wonderful theme for Advent, and the Bible has much to say about it......
I know little of hope, except perhaps the shadowy thing that normally takes its name......
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NET)....
We near Easter as the disciples neared the resurrection. Indeed, we near our own resurrection as they neared his. Christ has gone, and yet we walk. But like those pinks and oranges, like the stars that break the black, the Spirit now breathes Christ into all the empty spaces....
“Yet even now,” the Lord says, “return to me with all your heart...
"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matthew 6:16-18)....
Psalm 62:5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him....
Ash Wednesday recently fell in the middle of an historic winter storm in Texas......
"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry" (Matthew 4:1-2)....
Most of us reflect on 2020 as a year that rarely felt safe. So, what does the theme of Salvation have to do with Advent? What are we being saved from exactly?...
Advent signals the “take off” of the Church’s liturgical year at a time when I’m simply struggling to guide my calendar year to a “safe landing.”...
Reframe. Reorient. Recenter. These are good words. They describe how God can use Advent in our minds and hearts....
US political parties promote themselves as sources of calm within turmoil......
Christ shattered that spiritual wall, and He calls us to forgive and seek reconciliation because He reconciled us to the Father. Allow for space, but don’t let tension build at home during this season of isolation....
The highlight and habit of my days during COVID-19 is taking walks. Can you relate?...
"Resilient: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions; strong, adaptable, flexible."...
Adapted from Rev. Daniel Adkinson, former member of TFC and current Rector of St. Thomas Anglican Church - Athens, GA...
For most of my life, I’ve equated Lent with practices which help us to be “ready” to celebrate Easter......
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation (Romans 5:10-11 ESV)....
“So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). ...
Teaching and modeling prayer for our children. ...
James 4:1315Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit" yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.""I'm letting all t...
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Psalm 130 (ESV)1Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!2 O Lord, hear my voice!Let your ears be attentiveto the voice of my pleas for mercy!3If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,O Lord, who could stand?4But with you there is forgiveness,that you may be feared.It's said that physical maturing is one long separation process. From the very moment a baby is born, it begins l...
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Psalm 102:2, 1112 (ESV)Do not hide your face from mein the day of my distress!My days are like an evening shadow;I wither away like grass.But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;you are remembered throughout allgenerations.Lent is a solemn time of fasting, reflection, and preparation. It is appropriate to reflect on where we need hope in our lives. Our planet is in distress...
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Psalm 51: 1-2, 10, 12"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit."Sinour inevitable y...
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Ps. 38:2122 Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me!Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation! (ESV)A number of years ago I briefly taught elementary school, and I noticed that my students just couldn't resist comparing grades with one another.This drove me bananas.I'm not much for competition to begin with, and the last thing I wanted was for kids to ...
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Once chaos cracked the firmament, Its offspring drowned the land. Now sunlight strikes the atmosphere Like blows of Father's hand. What grace is light? What grace is Law? What grace is sacrifice To those who, born of flesh, confuse With sacrifice our vice? From chariots, you led us hence Through sea to holy hill. But though enslaved to whip and brick, By cov...
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