So much of Scripture is a call to remember. Deuteronomy (literally, 'Second Law'...not a new one, but a repetition) recites the statutes and recalls Israel's history. Deuteronomy 5 is the most famous 'Law' repeated...who could forget the Ten Commandments? Well? The famous, "Hear, O Israel!" (The Shema - Deuteronomy 6:4-5) which is recited three times daily, was a reminder to keep first things firs...  Read More

What kind of God?Here is a summary of Israel's history and God's history with Israel: "There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see, hear, eat, or smell. But from there, you will search for the Lord your God, and you will find him when you seek him with all your heart and all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, in the future yo...  Read More

Prayer confesses. Trust possesses. (adapted, E.M. Bounds)What a powerful reminder and promise Moses gives the Israelites in his recitation of their recent past. This is Yahweh your Elohim, Who He is and what He does. Reread Deuteronomy 1:29-31. Yes, twice Moses couples those profound 'God names'...Yahweh, I AM, Promise-Keeper, Ever-present Presence; and, Elohim, Sovereign God, Creator God, Supreme...  Read More

Astounded, amazed, alarmed, afraid...to encounter Jesus is to have some response to His presence. The above words are used to describe the disciples' and crowd's reaction to Jesus (Mark 10:32). He had just called those annoyances that some people call brats, and others just preferred to ignore, the standard for entering eternity...become like children or you won't get into heaven. Then, He turned ...  Read More

Jesus through the JourneyThreaded through the Old Testament narrative, we see the presence of God, our Savior, in the midst of His people, looking ahead to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. In Numbers 35, we see a powerful visual reminder of grace. The Levites, the bridge-building (mediatorial) tribe, are assigned cities sprinkled throughout the Land of Promise in the territory the trib...  Read More

"Your lives, like salt, are to season and preserve. So don’t lose your flavor, and preserve the peace in your union with one another.” (Mark 9:50b, TPT)Confession time: my tendency in life is to be a peace keeper. Peace keepers try to smooth over differences. Sometimes this works, but if you do not get at the core of what causes the conflict, you can spend a lifetime smoothing over differences. De...  Read More