Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. ~ Psalm 103:1 Do you have a favorite childhood memory? Or perhaps a recurring one that gives you great pleasure to return to over and over again? A memory maybe of someone who isn't with you any longer, but when they were, helped you find joy? For me, that memory is of my Grandma Lindstrom. My mother's mother. As a child, I have vivid memories of her reciting the opening lines to Psalm 103

Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.” ~ Matthew 21:21-22 These two verses come at the end of one of the most difficult stories about Jesus. He has just cursed a fig tree because it wouldn't bear fruit. It withered and died, an

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. ~ Romans 13:8-10 One of the truisms I've learned over time is that faith is, like life, "Simpl

Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.” He knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against its

Let my prayer rise up like incense before you!

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. Remember then what you received and heard; obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. ~ Ephesian 5:1-2 I'm not going to lie. I've never been a big fan of Jesus as "sacrifice" language. It made sense perhaps for the Jewish population of first century Jerusalem. But for 21st century Christians? I think it can cause us all kinds of complications and isn't really something I think we can easily wrap our min

Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to King Abimelech of the Philistines. The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; settle in the land that I shall show you. Reside in this land as an alien, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. I

Turn, O Lord! How long? Have compassion on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands— O prosper the work of our hands! ~ Psalm 90:12-17 I'm

God is the potter, we are the clay.

When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. ~ Genesis 25:27 Jacob is one of the most interesting characters in the Old Testament for me. There certainly is a wealth of story to choose from with him: Jacob tricking Esau out of his birthright. Jacob trying to win Rachel's hand from Laban. Jacob's ladder. Jacob's favoritism of Joseph leading to tragic consequences for the family. It's what makes Jacob

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. ~ Jeremiah 18:1-4 When my daughter was in elementary school, she came home one day with a piece of pottery that she made in art class. After studyin

I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.” ~ Genesis 22:17-18 God's creation had begun in a garden, and with sin spread "east" of Eden. With further sin, God pulled the reins in and brought creation back to a

[Jesus said] Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.” ~ John 21:18-19 Today is the feast day of the Apostles Peter and Paul. How does that old sayin

What actually is God's love like?

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love. ~ Galatians 5:6 The only thing that counts is faith working through love. Say it with me one more time: the only thing that counts is faith working through love. Martin Luther wasn't a fan of the letter of James - partically because of how he saw James' stand on "works." "Faith without works is dead." He pitted him in a sense then against

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. ~ Luke 1:57-58 See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he ap

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. ~ Psalm 86:15 Recently I read a story about how Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told a group of people that he was certain Senate Candidate James Talarico was going to hell. It certainly stopped me in my tracks. The first problem of Patrick's statement of course is that God, not Dan Patrick, is the judge of about final punishment or reward for any person. There's the who

Meanwhile, when the crowd had gathered by the thousands, so that they trampled on one another, [Jesus] began to speak first to his disciples, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. ~ Luke 12:1 According to the Oxford Dictionary, yeast is a microscopic fungus. Brittanica says there are about 1500 fungi - some of whom are dangerous pathogens. Jesus used the metaphor more than once. In one parable, he likened the kingdom of God to yeast that turns flour

For something a little different. This week there was good advice - fro God and from a father to his child in Proverbs. It made me think of the speech of another father giving his son good advic - Polonius to Laertes. This scene is from the 1996 version of Hamlet. To thine own self be true!