prayer ⁽⁴⁵⁸⁾

Acts 8:26–40; Psalm 22:25–31; 1 John 4:7–21; John 15:1–8 In many respects, the story of the Ethiopian is one of my favorites. It, along with the Samaritan woman, reflects the love and grace of God. Yesterday, in Amos 9:7, Cushite was used as a disparaging…

Psalm 22:25–31; Amos 9:7–15; Mark 4:30–32 The Lord’s condemnation of Israel puts Israel in the same category as the people that were pushed out of the Promised Land in the beginning. In many respects, the church in the West probably is similarly categorized. You may…

Psalm 22:25–31; Amos 8:11–13; Acts 8:9–25 The diminished place in American society that the American church is finally beginning to truly wrestle with is where the church was in many other Western countries many decades ago. As it processes what this means, the American church…

Psalm 22:25–31; Amos 8:1–7; Acts 8:1b–8 For many people, singing in worship of God is a significant part of their life of faith. They love the joy-filled worship of God. The image provided in Amos takes those joy-filled songs and turns them into songs of…

Psalm 95; Micah 7:8–20; Mark 14:26–31 In this passage in Micah, Zion is the personification of Jerusalem and the Promised Land. Zion also takes on the aspect of the people themselves. What is interesting is that Zion proclaims guilt in regards to God, but the…