Faith Brings Joy 5 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where...
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit...
Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed 19 That evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting there, and when he saw them, he stood up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and bowed with his face to the ground. 2 “My...
For the Samburu women in northern Kenya, the term "homemaker" takes on a whole new meaning. The Samburu tribe is a nomadic people group that earns their living raising cattle and other livestock. As a society that is still functioning in a hunting and gathering...
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom 16 Then the men got up from their meal and looked out toward Sodom. As they left, Abraham went with them to send them on their way. 17 “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked. 18 “For Abraham will certainly become a great...
A Song of Deliverance 15 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea. 2 The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is...
I have always had a slightly disordered perception of food. As a teenager, I ate without giving it much thought. The only caveat was calories. I never looked at ingredients or bothered with the nutrition (or lack thereof), but I constantly checked the number of...
46God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. 2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. 3 Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! 4 A river brings joy to...
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold 5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous...
A Son Is Promised to Sarah 18The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. 2 He looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw...
105 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. 2 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. 3 Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord. 4 Search for the Lord and...
The Faith of Abraham 4 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not...
Sarai Is Named Sarah 15 Then God said to Abraham, “Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah. 16 And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and...
Abram Is Named Abraham 17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. 2 I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” 3 At...
Ebola. It's undeniable that the biggest outbreak of Ebola has been in our social media and news coverage these past few weeks. During my time here in Africa, I have watched the reaction of our country from afar. The response has been disappointing, to say...
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman 4 Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). 3 So he left Judea and returned to Galilee. 4 He had to go through Samaria on the way. 5 Eventually...
Not long ago I posted about being an ezer in the second half of life. I’m truly thankful for how God is teaching me to trust Him in embracing the ever-changing relational seasons of my life. But here’s the flip side of my journey in...
Promises of Israel’s Restoration 8 This is what the LORD says: “At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you and give you to the people as my covenant with them. Through you I will reestablish the land...
Many of you may have seen the photo of one of our OVC Kenya children that I posted last week. Since I am friends on Facebook with several of the teachers at Happy Day, word got back around to Gachoki (pronounced gu-sho-kee) that her picture...
Abraham’s Two Children 21 Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? 22 The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. 23 The son of the slave wife...
This is embarrassing to admit, but in my late forties I am just now accepting the fact that I will never have a perfect body. I’m sure some of you are thinking, Hello! Of course not! But I have been reluctant to let go...
The Birth of Ishmael 16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I...