“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” — Romans 8:6 NIV Sister Eva was a Catholic nun and a hospital chaplain whom I worked with for several years before she retired. She was fond of saying to me and the other chaplains, Don’t lose your peace. Whenever one … Continue reading →
”The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” — 1 John 2:17 NIV In 1974 the Rolling Stones recorded a slow-tempo song with an almost hypnotic melody called “Time Waits for No One.” Stones fans still consider it a classic, but everyone recognizes the stark truth the lyrics reveal about our world—time … Continue reading →
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” — Luke 6:45 NIV A man can suppress his actions and hide his real self for awhile but eventually … Continue reading →
“If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength!” — Proverbs 24:10 NIV Not having the physical strength to overcome an illness is not something we should scoff at, because it could just as easily happen to us. We can look upon the misfortunes of another and feel sorry for them and their weakness but we … Continue reading →
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — John 15:13 NIV The ultimate gift that one can give is their life. There is no higher expression of love than to sacrifice your life so another can live. There simply is no other gift that can be given beyond one’s life. I once … Continue reading →
“Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” — John 4:10 NIV Jesus tells the Samaritan women at the well, If you only knew who I am you would be asking for more. The truth … Continue reading →
“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” — 2 Chronicles 16:9 NIV Sometimes life has a way of making us feel alone, ignored, or unrecognized. You could be a stay at home mom, you could be a professional that spends your day by yourselves, or you could be … Continue reading →
“Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” — John 20:29 NIV If seeing is your standard for believing, you are missing out on the true power of Christian faith. When we live by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) we are inviting … Continue reading →
“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 NIV You can always tell what someone is passionate about because they like talking about it. Their words, however, are just the … Continue reading →
“Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.” — 1 Samuel 17:40 (NIV) The small shepherd boy, David, stood before the giant Goliath with a simple slingshot and a few stones. He wasn’t wearing … Continue reading →
“It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.” — Ecclesiastes 7:2 NIV The real message in this verse is not that we ought to spend more time at funerals than at parties, but that we all … Continue reading →