As I was reading today's Prayer Journal on 2 Timothy 3:16-17, that 'all Scripture is breathed into by God', my mind was taken back to our recent conversation about the Name God gave Moses ("I Am" - Exodus 3:14) being transliterated, YHWH, and in Hebrew sounding like breath - YH = inhale; WH = exhale. Every time we breathe, we speak His Name. He is our Life, our Breath.Next, my mind went to a video...  Read More

Most of us probably read the word 'Baal' and think of the great encounter of Elijah vs. the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. In many cases, Baal is associated with the worship of idols. Context matters! If you do a quick search, the words 'owner, master, lord' will probably show up in reference to 'baal.' They are appropriate. In 1 Chronicles 14, David is dealing with those Philistines who have a v...  Read More

Tell me if you agree, Jesus' favorite day for healing someone was on the Sabbath. He does so again in John 9 (see vv.14 and 16). Sabbath was sacred. It was a day given to worshiping God, to resting from daily labor so one could be restored in God's presence and reflection on Torah and God's blessing was essential. The funny thing about Jesus' accusers is that they always worked on the Sabbath...it...  Read More

"We must be vigilant that, in all we do, the love of God has an odor that is so powerful none can miss it." (Brent Peterson on John 13:35 in the "Prayer Journal"). I don't know about you, but when I think of odor, I think of smelly socks or sweaty gym clothes...not pleasant. If I were writing that sentence, I would substitute the word 'aroma' for 'odor'...in fact, I did write it in my journal. A p...  Read More

If you know me, and were listening to our preacher yesterday, Rev. Wes Tink shared a testimony about reaching a neighbor for Jesus. When the man got to reading the Bible, his observation was, "I don't like the Old Testament, but I like the New Testament." I smiled. Passages like today's O.T. scripture are one of the excuses people use for not liking it. I was about to focus in on the genealogies u...  Read More

To me there is no doubt that the Holy Spirit made certain that John 8:1-11 was recorded in our Scripture. It is powerful, poignant and personal. The woman caught in a grievous sin encounters Christ and discovers God's great and amazing grace is real. It's personal. Those conniving scribes and Pharisees reveal their own great sin, and confronted with their own proud and judgmental sinfulness, slink...  Read More