And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21 “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.” That’s a hard sentiment to accept sometimes. We like the first part — but when the Lord takes away, well, that’s not our favorite thing, is it? It’s easy to get into the habit of seeing what is wrong or what we don’t have and allow that to color everything in our lives. But Job’s words ... [Read More]

But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall me my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you. Ruth 1:16-17 Do you love you mother-in-law? I do love mine. But I can’t imagine the devotion Ruth had to Naomi. I can’t imagine leaving my mother and father, knowing I ... [Read More]

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15 The Israelites had to make a choice — who would they serve. Each family had to decide for themselves.  Joshua made his famous proclamation, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” And it’s likely at ... [Read More]

You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:9 The end of “the shema” is as beautiful as the beginning to me. The Lord doesn’t just want our relationship to be figurative and intangible … He invites us to connect with Him in very tangible ways. We have Scripture and faith-oriented words displayed in many rooms of our home. Doing so offers us a visible reminder of Whose we are and from Whom all  the gifts of our life come. But having the words displayed ... [Read More]

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6:5 Family time. Date night. Work commitments. Church obligations. Community responsibilities. The 24 hours we have each day is never enough to do all that needs to be done. We live in a time when filling our days with good things, important things, is easy. We can easily move from one activity to the next, serving others and living a good life … but missing out on what really ... [Read More]

Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24 In a world where everything is disposable and relationships are freely tossed to the side when they stop feeling right or meeting needs, it’s easy to forget what God said about marriage. It’s easy to lose sight of how sacred the relationship between husband and wife is. God offers us this unique and beautiful experience of holding fast to one another … the ... [Read More]