Who am I?Who am I is a question I find myself wrestling with more and more as I get older.Doubting my abilities and questioning my significance is a recurring theme that quite often holds me back from taking risks. I wanted to see who in the Bible ran into the same issues and found myself looking at the life of Moses.When I think of Moses I go straight to the great leader he was, how he was relent...  Read More

Because He LivesThe fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead gives us the absolute, unquestionable foundation for everything else we believe. First of all, we have the confidence of knowing our God is alive. Jesus was not simply some itinerant preacher or teacher; He claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16: 16-17). The Lord told His disciples that to see Him was to see the ...  Read More

1 Peter 1:3-9Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be ...  Read More

Sanctification & Access to GodAt the moment of salvation, Jesus sanctified you with His blood by applying it to your life (Heb. 13:12). This means you were set apart as God’s child to live for Him from that time onward. The best way for me to describe sanctification is to compare it to a period that comes at the end of an event. You were saved, redeemed, justified, reconciled, and sanctified, peri...  Read More

Justification & ReconciliationThe Word of God alerts us that the wrath of God will rightly fall on sinful mankind (Rom. 5:8-10), but those who are justified by the blood of Christ will be saved from that dreadful punishment. Justification means that the Father accepts the death of His Son as full payment for our sin (Rom. 3:23-26). Jesus is a satisfactory substitute because He is the sinless Lamb ...  Read More

Matthew 21:1-11When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. "If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,'and immediately he will send them.”  ...  Read More

Redemption & ForgivenessApart from the blood of Christ, no one can have a relationship with the heavenly Father. Because God is holy, our sin blocks any chance of connection with Him. But in love, He planned and initiated a course of reconciliation with fallen humanity. The blood of Jesus provides all that we need to draw near to the Father.To “redeem” means “to buy something back.” Jesus Christ c...  Read More

The Precious Blood of JesusWhen was the last time you heard a sermon or sang a song about the blood of Jesus? Some churches today find the concept antiquated or even gruesome. Songs that mention “the blood” have even been removed from hymnbooks. Yet without it, there’s no hope of a relationship with God, no assurance of salvation, and no confidence that our prayers are heard.Scripture never shies ...  Read More

Day 6Grace is the key to rest.Many Christian books and articles about rest have come out in the past few years. I think this is because our society has a collective felt-need for real rest. It is no secret that multi-tasking, extracurriculars, and productivity are king according to our culture. Doing more is rewarded in our workplaces and schools. In fact, even the foster care agency I worked with...  Read More

Day 5Grace is the foundation for growth.Part of my journey as an adoptive parent has involved going through lots of training on the effects of childhood trauma. One interesting thing that we learned early in our training is that children who feel safe and have a secure attachment to a trusted caregiver take more risks. Children who do not experience consistent, loving attachments quickly begin to ...  Read More

Nehemiah 3:-4Then Eliashib the high priest arose with his brothers the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They consecrated the wall to the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel.  Next to him the men of Jericho built, and next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.  Now the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors wi...  Read More

Day 4Grace doesn’t “just” save you from death; it is effective in the here and now.I am a children’s ministry director and one of the themes that every curriculum nails into our children’s conscience is that Jesus is the source of eternal life. Being a Christian means you are saved from death and damnation by Jesus’ grace. That is true, and that is good news! But, because death is not the primary ...  Read More