So while we may not totally forget the failures of the past, we can live knowing that we are not stuck and those failures don’t define us.

Whether it is by personality or by training, or some combination of both, I like to have rules to assist in making decisions. But one thing we learn from the gospels is that Jesus often didn’t play by the conventional rules and sometimes it is difficult to discern if a rule is from God (and inviolable) or from man (and can be ignored).

“This sainthood is one of the great benefits of being a recipient of God’s grace. It also reflects a responsibility to act like one who has received this calling.” Darrell Bock I copied this quote down, but unfortunately, I didn’t note in which book I found it. But this is a good reminder that our […]

When he threw the merchants and money changers out of the temple, Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Mark 11:17 The “you” is plural and probably refers to the religious leaders, including the high priest. They were […]

In reading his book Changes that Heal, I ran across this statement by Henry Cloud: “Our failures do not surprise [God]. If they surprise us, it is only because we have too high an opinion of ourselves.” What else can I say? If you are encouraged by this post or would like to make a […]

These verses are on my mind as I write this post: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.” Psalm 120:1–2, ESV The psalmist starts with the understanding that his prayer is heard. What is his prayer? His prayer is […]