The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
God’s Inclined Ear
On Wednesday I watched as dolphins slid in and out of the water just off the California coast. The occasional otter popped its head above water and numerous birds floated on the surface, dipping intermittently into the large school of fish roiling not far below. A woman from Israel stood next to me. In our conversation, the only thing about God in which she took an interest was creation. She rejoiced with me over the wonder of…..
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Anniversary Thoughts
Forty-four years ago today, Dan and I were married. Recently I was thinking about his proposal. We had discussed the possibility of marriage before but he hadn’t actually popped the question. I don’t remember the topic of our conversation when he asked me to marry him. I told him I needed to pray about it. As we continued to talk God was reminding me that I had already been praying for whoever my husband would be since childhood…..
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The Cross of Christ
As my daffodils happily nod their heads in the sun and leaf buds start to appear on the rose bushes, I see springtime bursting out all over. It is always this time of year that we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Is that because the earth reflects a sort of resurrection in the spring? No, it has nothing to do with the annual re-awakening of nature. It is because it…..
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A Well-Remembered Song
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence oh, Lord; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10-12
I memorized these verses because of the song that is a verbatim rendering of these words, except for the repetition of verse 10. When I…..
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Because of His Good Pleasure
Ephesians 1:3-23 explains Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection as payment for our sins in terms of a financial transaction. If you wonder sometimes what to praise God for in your private worship time with Him, try reading this back to Him in your prayers.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ according as He has chosen us in Him…..
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In Jesus’ Footsteps
I recently watched as a man put socks on his handicapped wife’s feet. It was such a gentle, humble, and deliberate act of love that it caused me to think of Christ washing his disciple’s feet. In those days it was common courtesy for a host to order his servants to wash the feet of his guests. However far they had come to visit, their sandaled feet would have become coated with the dust of the roads.
…..
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Opportunity Lost
Francis Ridley Havergal (1836-1879), a prolific Christian writer, poet, and hymn lyricist, remains well-known among Christians for songs like “Take My Life and Let It Be” and books like Kept for the Master’s Use that continue to be in print today. During the summer after she finished school, some girls sometimes came to her house for an hour of hymn singing. With this group she focused on the musical aspects of the songs and only occasionally talked timidly…..
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To Worship God, part 4
Each day we make many choices – when to get up, what clothes to wear, which way to go to work (or school), what to eat, when and where to go shopping, which gas station to stop at, and what we do during “leisure” time. Even the smallest choices have repercussions. For instance, one of my daily choices is when to go to the mailbox to pick up our mail. If I go too early…..
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To Worship God, part 3
When we think of worshiping God we generally envision singing in a church sanctuary on Sunday as the setting. But worship is a daily lifestyle activity that is not only expressed in words but also in our attitudes, actions, and choices. Today in part three of a four-part series I will discuss how our activities express worship.
Colossians 3:17 tells us, “whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the…..
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To Worship God, part 2
When we think of worshiping God we generally envision singing in a church sanctuary on Sunday as the setting. But worship is a daily lifestyle activity that is not only expressed in words but also in our attitudes, actions, and choices. Today in part two of a four-part series I will discuss worship demonstrated by our attitudes.
The Christian life does not exist in a vacuum. We are called to “Walk in wisdom toward them…..