I have no verse from Scripture from which to springboard…just some encouragement I believe I received from the Lord today as I was spending time with Him. I was simply talking to Him as authentically and vulnerably as I could…coming to Him as I am, without trying to pretend or hide. (Why, by the way, do we sometimes do that, believing that we can somehow “trick” God that we are feeling or believing something that we really aren’t?)
Anyway, I have a hard time really capturing in words where I find …

Theology. I love it. I could seriously have a worship experience while reading a commentary. I would have loved to have been able to go to seminary, not so I could get some letters behind my name and a piece of paper to hang up on my wall, but just so that I could learn and immerse myself in the knowledge of God! Right theology, right doctrine is extremely important – critical. You will never convince me otherwise.
But God brought the hammer down on me a few years ago. I …

So, I was reading in Mark the other day (The Lord has spoken volumes to me as I’ve encountered His Word in a fresh way through The Message – I love what Eugene Paterson set out to do and I thank God for him!)…anyway, I happened to be in Mark, reading the narrative surrounding Christ’s betrayal, death, and resurrection.  Once again, I had to stop and could read no further as I came across some words that pierced my heart:
         “Peter followed at a safe distance…”
           Just let that sink …

Isn’t it funny how you can read something in the Bible, knowing you’ve read it before, but reading it as if for the first time? That happened to me the other day. I was stopped dead in my tracks when I read this verse:
 “Johoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried…”    2 Chronicles 21:20
 Did you catch that? It broke my heart. Can you imagine living life in such a way that when you …

If you are reading this, I’m trusting it is because the Lord is stirring in you a desire to know and seek Him as you never have before! It was such a privilege for Jody and I to be able to share with The Summit this morning what God has done in us as we have hungered for Him through fasting. Oh, may He be glorified in and through our church as we all hunger for Him together!
As I mentioned this morning, we are encouraging all who are sensing that …

There are so many things we could do for the Lord – so many great things! Leading Bible studies, going on mission trips, singing in the choir, being a greeter, serving at a homeless shelter, taking a meal to a shut-in, being a pastor, volunteering at school, working with the youth group…the list could go on and on and on. And often our hearts are “right” in that we truly want to do good in His name and for the blessing of those around us. But have you ever felt …

“Then I got up and went about the king’s business.” Daniel 8:27
On the heels of Mark’s sermon this past Sunday about being joy-filled in these anxious times, I was struck as I read this verse this morning. Daniel had many dreams and visions while in exile in Babylon. After one particularly disturbing one, the Bible said he was “exhausted and lay ill for several days.” It even says that he was “appalled by the vision,” because “it was beyond understanding.”
It sounds like maybe…even if not for very long…he was a …

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Mt. 5:6
 
          Fasting is such a simple, yet incredibly profound way to draw nearer to the Lord. It has become a “lost discipline” in the church today. In the early church, and for hundreds of years following, fasting was a normal part of a Christian’s life. It does not seem to be so today, primarily, I believe, because people just don’t understand it, and are therefore full of fear concerning it. Through fasting, the Lord has …

“How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now?” Joshua 22: 16
 
I love the book of Joshua! By the time we get to the end of the book, Israel has endured through seven years of battle, and they’ve gained control of Canaan – the Promised Land – which was then divided and allotted to each of the tribes. Joshua dismissed the army, because now it was each tribe’s responsibility …

I’m reading a book right now by Phillip Keller – it was written in 1970 – called “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23.” (Figured I really need to read all the books on my shelf that I haven’t read yet, before I buy more!) I am reminded all over again how very much we miss when we read the Scriptures, simply because we aren’t familiar with the culture in which they were written, or, in this case, the perspective and understanding that come when you know what it’s like to …