Salvation ⁽⁹⁷⁾

Psalm 74; Isaiah 26:16–27:1; Luke 11:14–28 When Joni (my wife) was pregnant with our first (to be born) child, we had an odd conversation with another couple. They told us (almost mockingly) that soon our conversation would change to include the color and consistency of…

Job 14:1–14; Lamentations 3:1–9, 19–24; Psalm 31:1–4, 15–16 “Jesus, 33, son of Joseph and Mary, was crucified and died yesterday. Survived by mother Mary. Wandering prophet who proclaimed the Kingdom of God was near. Performed miracles. Challenged the status quo. Caused the leaders heartache.” Even…

Psalm 70; Isaiah 50:4–9a; Hebrews 12:1–3; John 13:21–32 Taking insults is hard. Taking insults in today’s culture is reality…especially on social media. It’s not just social media, though, not by far. It is pervasive. Isaiah faced plenty of insults. He was spat upon. People physically…

Numbers 21:4–9; Psalm 107:1–3, 17–22; Ephesians 2:1–10; John 3:14–21 One of the biggest dangers of constant blessings is that we often disdain them. We become so accustomed to them that we become blind to them. Even worse, we then grow to despise them. The Israelites…

Psalm 77; Job 4:1–21; Ephesians 2:1–10 I recently l read a pointed quip (one could call it an insult) at a man who had chosen to remain celibate rather than have a relationship with another man. The person wrote, “…This guy needs [religion] as an…