"no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah," ~Luke 11:29 As we begin our journey of Lent, we are invited to reflect on our need for repentance and conversion. Jesus warns us that this generation is an evil generation that seeks a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. What does this mean? Jonah was a prophet sent by God to preach repentance to the wicked city of Nineveh. But Jonah tried to run away from his mission and boarded a ship that wa

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world" ~1 John 4:1 When I read this verse, I imagine these floating "ghost-like" shapes sitting at classroom desks, taking a quiz to prove "whether they are of God." Is that what John was thinking of by testing the spirits? Not at all, but it does make for a funny image when taken literally. On the flip side, testing the spirits can also so

"Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments," ~Joel 2:12-13 Ash Wednesday is a special point in the liturgical church year when we set aside time for fasting in preparation for the Easter celebration. People mostly choose to fast from certain foods, whereas some pick intangible objects like social media. Our example is Jesus undergoing the ultimate fast from everything by being alon

"and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation" ~2 Peter 3:15a Many people wonder..."When is Jesus coming back?" Some say we still have another thousand years, whereas others say the end is nigh. I think what most people wonder is, "Why wait?" There's so much going wrong with the world. Why won't Jesus just come back now and end all the suffering so we can live in paradise with Him forever? Peter gives us the answer in today's Scripture (2 Peter 3:1-18). "The L

"Be hospitable to one another without grumbling." ~1 Peter 4:9 One of the hardest things for me to overlook is people walking on my carpet with their shoes on. Call me a clean freak, but there's so much junk on the ground outside, and then to track it into the house grosses me out. Once I get home, I immediately take my shoes off and put on my slippers. My feet are warm and comfortable, all the while not dirtying up my carpet! Of course, when guests come over, I can't have ev

"Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky" ~Philippians 2:15b Do you ever wish people would notice you? Maybe you clean the house, volunteer, or feel like you have unrecognized talent. When your efforts go unnoticed, do you feel frustrated? Of course, you do. It's natural to feel that way. But Paul says, in Philippians, that we will shine like stars in the sky. How and why will this happen? Some people prefer to go "unseen." After all, Jesus says in Matthew 6:3, "

But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a desert road .) So he got ready and went" ~Acts 8:26-27 When a woman is nearing the time for her baby to be born, she has a "go bag" ready to take to the hospital. It contains, well, I'm not going to pretend to know what it contains; I at least know it has the essentials she needs for a comfortable stay in the hospital until she can go home. She

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” ~ Revelation 21:5 It’s wild to think in Revelation 21, we get a sneak peek at the restoration of all things: new heaven, new earth, no more crying, dying, “for the former things have passed away” (4). None of this has happened for us yet, but God gave this revelation to John so he could share with Christ’s believers what is to come. We don’

We have come to the Fourth Sunday before Christmas—the final Sunday of Advent. God has sent his messengers to appear to multiple people across the country and that section of the world. Mary, Zachariah, the Wiseman, the Shepherds, and Joseph all had Angels visit them. Looking back across this advent season, we can see that each Sunday has built upon each other. The thread of love has been woven throughout. God knew that Mary having a loving, understanding husband and Jesus h

“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10-12) The third candle of Advent is pink, the liturgical color for joy. I don’t always associate the fall and winter seasons with joy. While I do think of having a fun

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” -John 14:27 On the second Sunday of Advent, we light the second purple candle, also known as the Bethlehem Candle. It represents Peace. This candle builds upon the Prophecy Candle by signifying Christ is coming to bring the lasting peace so desperately sought by the people in the Old Testament after they endured the continual

“one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again." ~Isaiah 2:4 We are in the first week of Advent, an exciting time when we anticipate the birth of Christ. The first candle of the Advent wreath is the purple candle sometimes called the "Prophecy Candle" to represent Isaiah's prophecy of Christ along with all of the Old Testament promises fulfilled. This candle represents Hope. The hope of the Jewish people was fulfilled in the birth

“We’ve got another holiday to worry about. It seems Thanksgiving Day is upon us.” ~Charlie Brown Well, it seems Thanksgiving Day is upon us. It's tomorrow, in fact! Do you have everything ready? Is the food cooking? Is the house picture-perfect? Are you pulling a Charlie Brown and worrying? The night before Jesus started his journey to the cross he had a lot to be worried about. When he was at dinner with his disciples "he took bread, gave thanks and broke it" (Luke 22:19).

"For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" ~Hebrews 2:2-3 There's a funny, cautionary anecdote about discarding God's helping hand. I'm sure most of you have heard some variation of it. It goes like this: A man is sitting on his roof due to the rising flood waters that have struck his home. He's waiting patiently for God to sa

In this age, when fear of the unknown has overtaken our lives, the Enemy delights in our crumbling faith not only in God but in our leaders God has appointed (Romans 13). “At that time, the sons of Israel walked away from that place, every man to his tribe and his family. And they went out from there, every man to his inheritance. In those days there was no king in Israel. A man did what was right according to his own vision.” –Judges 21:24-25 (NKJV) For me, one of the most m

I think we may be more self-centered than we realize; this is a blanket statement which I cannot attribute to everyone but I can give you food for thought at least. Lately I've been waking up, thinking, what if today I just exceed who I've been and be the person God wants me to be. Yes, I desire to live for God everyday, but there are areas where I am severely lacking. The areas where I fall short may be different than the areas where you fall short. But I'm afraid the trap w

"He upholds the universe by the word of His power" ~Hebrews 1:3 Yesterday was Election Day. Some people may be happy this morning; others may be sad. Some may feel fearful; others may feel hopeful. Regardless of your feelings about the results, the fact is that Jesus upholds the universe. He is sitting "at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (4). That fact should always be at the forefront of our minds. While we pray for the leaders of our state and country, we first and

"Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces" ~Luke 11:43 When you go see a movie or a play doesn't it bug you when someone taller sits in front of you? It hampers my experience because I can't see what's going on, not to mention I paid good money for admission. But what about at church? When your "experience" isn't optimal do you wish you could get your time back? In Luke, Jesus is reproaching the Pharisees for seek

"Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness" ~Philippians 2:29 How does it make you feel when someone smiles when they see you? It makes you feel good, doesn't it? You realize that your company is appreciated, and you are respected. It sounds simple enough, but the act of greeting someone with a warm smile can go further than we realize. Why do you think Paul instructed the followers in Phillippi to greet their old friend Epaphroditus with all gladness? Don't you t

"the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel" ~Philippians 1:12 It's a natural reaction for us to complain when things don't go our way. Maybe we sulk and say to ourselves, "Why me?" or we ensure others know about our suffering. If anyone had reason to complain, it was the Apostle Paul. He experienced numerous beatings, starvation, shipwreck, and nearly constant danger, yet he still told people all of this happened to him to adv