“But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy.” -Psalm 5:11 Sometimes things happen in our lives that leave a void. The death of a loved one, divorce, an estranged child or parent,

“Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” -John 15:1 What is real? What is ‘the real thing?’ Coke® markets itself as “the real thing”. But is real anything money can buy? What is real to you? When I was 17, I attended a New Age workshop. I was looking for the

“However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” -Ephesians 5:33 Have you ever heard “men need respect”, and “women need love”? I have to admit this idea was branded into my brain as a result of some amazing marriage coaching after my

“I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.” -Psalm 3:6 All throughout the scriptures, God informs us that He does not want us to be afraid. “But isn’t that contradictory?” you might say. “Doesn’t God want us to fear Him?” Yes, but that’s a different kind of fear. There are in fact three different

“Kind words are like honey – sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” -Proverbs 16:24 What does it mean to be salty or sweet? A friend of mine put together a website that parallels the internal state of our hearts with flavors. I thought it was such a great way to think about

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” -1 Corinthians 15:10 Have you ever noticed that some things are far easier when

“The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, ‘You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden – except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.” -Jeremiah 17:7 I remember when I first decided to follow Jesus, after I really realized that He loved me. Because I still had a lot of brokenness in my life, I was hungry to learn more about

“Come and follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” -Matthew 4:19  Have you ever felt insignificant?  Have you ever felt like nothing you did would matter to anyone else?  Conversely, have you ever felt valued?  Like, what you did really mattered to someone in this world? If you ever ask a young

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” -Deuteronomy 7:9 “Marriage looks good on you!” came the remark. I was flattered. I knew it too – I had never felt so

“But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” -Matthew 6:15 Sometimes life can make us upset. Sometimes people do things that just aren’t right – even people who should know better! Or people may unknowingly do things that frustrate or hurt us, without even realizing it. Still,

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” -1 Timothy 6:12  One morning in Sunday service I heard our pastor challenging us.  He said, “Sometimes you gotta fight – ’cause that’s how you

“Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.” -Proverbs 21:23 Did you know what you say defines your life? The Bible says, “Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21) Wow! That’s pretty powerful – having the power

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” -1 Peter 2:9 In the Old Testament, it was unlawful for priests to do or wear certain things – it

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it.” -Psalm 139:14 I love that God created us all so wonderfully, and so uniquely.  There is no one on earth with the same fingerprints as you! However, people who are different from us can sure get on our nerves. 

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” -Colossians 3:15 The best cure for restlessness and lack of contentment is learning to be thankful. Contentment doesn’t have to do with the stuff we have now, the place we’re at, where

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” -John 10:10 Probably one of the greatest stumbling blocks to people’s belief in God is this question: “If God is a good God, why does He allow suffering in the world?” I was on

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” -John 3:17 “The #1 barrier that keeps unbelievers from trusting Jesus is not the Good News but the sinful attitudes of believers.” – Rick Warren Frequently I meet Christians who are caught up in the

“So Moses told the people, ‘You must be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, following his instructions in every detail. Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter

“But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” -Matthew 6:15 Have you ever had a hard time forgiving someone? We all experience things in our lives that can cause us to hold unforgiveness against someone else. It is especially difficult if the person who has hurt us

“When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice.”  -Genesis 22:9

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” -1 Timothy 6:10 Have you seen anyone destroyed by money? I have. Have you ever seen someone use money wisely? I’ve seen that too.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build…” -Ecclesiastes 3:1-3

“But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.” -Acts 9:27 What does it mean to be fearless? Does it mean

“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” -Ecclesiastes 3:11 Have you ever noticed how much time we spend planning for our education, planning for weddings, or planning for

“When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.’” -Judges 6:12 Has God given you a dream or vision that is bigger than you? All of the major characters in the Bible had a vision that was bigger than them; such is the case with God-sized

“But I tell you this – though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.” -Luke 11:8 Have you ever been persistent about something? I know persistence is hard for me – I tend to

“His Spirit made the heavens beautiful, and his power pierced the gliding serpent. These are just the beginning of all that he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?” -Job 26:13-14 Every time I go to the mountains I am enamored by God’s creation. The sun,

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the

“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” -Deuteronomy 31:8 The Israelites were discouraged. After Moses had sent Joshua and 11 other men to explore the Promised Land for forty days, ten of them came back