The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:27 Can you remember the number of times that you were warned not to do something, not to go somewhere, not to act up in certain settings, and not to be … Continue reading The Storm Is Coming, You’ve Been Warned! →

“Accept that you are not perfect, but you are enough. And then start working on everything that destroys you. Your insecurities, your ego, your dark thoughts. You will see, in the end, you’re going to make peace with yourself.” – Finja Brandenburg. When the lights go down at night, the children are in bed, and … Continue reading I Am Enough! →

Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not a long life bring understanding? Job 12:12 If you ever have time to sit and think about your life, you have the opportunity to see where and how much you have grown and acquired wisdom along the way. There is a recognition of how you prioritize … Continue reading Bringing the Old to New →

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2. Matthew’s gospel is focused on a Christian Jewish … Continue reading The Four Gospels: Aren’t they the same? Pt. 2 →

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2. Once in a while, a situation or experience … Continue reading The Four Gospels: Aren’t they the same? Pt. 1 →

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 Every year, a new class enters with bright eyes full of hope and promise. I watch as they enter with the innocence of a … Continue reading The Road Ahead: Class of 2024 →

We, believers, are now the temple of the living God!2 Corinthians 6:16   God calls believers to meet together for encouragement. Hebrews 10:25 God created us to do good works. Ephesians 2:10  We show His love by loving others. 1 John 4:7 When people get together, conversation reminiscing about the past occurs. There is always a … Continue reading Are We the Church? →

Did the grass sing?Did the earth rejoice to feel You again?Over and over like a trumpet undergroundDid the earth seem to pound, "He is risen!"Over and over in a never-ending round"He is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!" (Lyrics to Was It a Morning Like This by Sandy Patty) He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

"It is finished." John 19:30. Recap of Holy Week: Palm Sunday: Jesus has made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.  They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!” "Blessed is he who … Continue reading Silent Saturday →

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke23:34 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed him, including women … Continue reading Good Friday: It Is Finished! →

Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There, they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. John 19:17-18 The celebration of Maundy Thursday: O Sacred Head Now Wounded. The lyrics of this song will lead … Continue reading Triduum →

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. … Continue reading Holy Week Meditation →

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV) We often ask, “Why do bad … Continue reading Defense in Faith →

Is not wisdom found among the aged?    Does not long life bring understanding? Job 12:12 If you ever have time to sit and think about your life, you have the opportunity to see where and how much you have grown and acquired wisdom along the way. There is a recognition of how you prioritize things and … Continue reading Bringing the Old to the New →

“And what is a friend? More than a father, more than a brother: a traveling companion, with [her], you can conquer the impossible, even if you must lose it later. Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.” —Elie Wiesel Every woman needs … Continue reading Friends: Unbroken and Unshakeable →

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8 When people read the gospels, they are reading to understand the Messiah and His purpose for salvation and daily living. There … Continue reading How Do You Read the Gospels? →

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 18:19-20 Have you ever received … Continue reading The Greatest Gift →

"Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they're never weakness." — Brené Brown Every year, I watch as students wander down the halls laughing, talking, and joking with their peers. Just stopping in the halls and watching the action is like standing outside the bubble looking into another … Continue reading You Are Seen →

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.....Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to … Continue reading Covered in Armor →

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4) When the tears begin to fall, they will. You have to let them fall because it's a way of grieving, expressing … Continue reading When the Tears Begin to Fall →