The Spirit himself intercedes for us. —Romans 8:26 Aphasia: loss or impairment of the power to use or comprehend words (Merriam-Webster) I frequently get stopped in my tracks while writing these essays when I can’t come up with the word I need to describe what I’m […]
I will trust and not be afraid. —Isaiah 12:2 News outlets deliver a continuous stream of wild-eyed crazies massacring schoolchildren, shooting up theaters, planting bombs where people work and play. They display nutcase leaders flexing their muscles and annihilating their enemies. This endless recital of
Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. —Matthew 25:40 In the final judgment, Jesus will say to some, I was hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, imprisoned. You fed me, befriended me, clothed me, cared for
I will not neglect your word. —Psalm 119:16 I am impressed with the attention devoted to Bible reading by earlier generations. Cranmer’s Prayer Book lectionary, first published in 1549, presented daily morning and evening prayers that took Anglicans through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice a
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Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. —Psalm 118:1 In Practicing a Weighty Gratitude, Eric Nolan related how he decided to find three things each day for which he was grateful and committed to writing them down every evening just
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Faith is confidence in what we hope for. —Hebrews 11:1 I have friends who are going through hard times: grief, loss, health issues. I am inspired by their faith and grit in taking the long view, looking past present anxiety to future certainty.
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Without faith it is impossible to please God. —Hebrews 11:6 Only two times in the gospels is it said that Jesus was amazed. In Luke chapter 7, a centurion, concerned about his sick servant, sent a request to Jesus
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I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. —Matthew 25:35 Abdullah II became king of Jordan in 1999. He occasionally prowled the country in disguise, popping into government offices and hospitals to see how his people were
[Jesus] bore our sins in his body on the cross. —1 Peter 2:24 Cliff Barrows two young children persisted in doing something they had been forbidden to do. They were warned if they did it again, they would be punished. They did it again. Barrows knew that he had to punish them
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Your word is truth. —John 17:17 Humorist Garrison Keillor was probably correct when he epitomized the contemporary manipulation of truth: “Sometimes you just have to look truth square in the face and deny it!” Most of us have done it when we’ve stepped on the scales, canceled an annual physical, or made an
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