The Psalms are unique in the Bible because on one hand, they are prayers of people pouring out their hearts to God; but at the same time, they are the words of God. When we pray with them, our thirst for him meets his thirst for us. The psalms reveal HIS heart while they bare […]
ADD SCRIPTURE TO YOUR LENTEN DIET
How about adding something to your Lenten diet this year, in place of the things you abstain from? I’m not talking about adding food. As Jesus famously said, we don’t live just on bread, but on “every word” that comes from God (see Matthew 4:4). Lent is a great time to see the truth of […]
TRUST IN GOD; HE’S GOT YOUR BACK
Israel was between a rock and a hard place. Literally. There they were, camped on the plains of Moab. With solid cliffs behind them and the River Jordan and Jericho ahead, barring their way into Canaan. They were also caught between the “rock” of their sin and the hard job of conquering the land God […]
FINDING JOY AT CHRISTMAS
“Awake, mankind! For your sake God has become man…I tell you again: for your sake, God became man.” —Saint Augustine As we move into Christmas, I wish for you the peace and joy that only Jesus brings. Whether you are prepared or not; whether you are well or not; whether you can afford gifts or not; […]
FOCUSING ON THE CHRIST CHILD with the O Antiphons
Having recently lost someone dear to me has shifted my focus to beyond the grave, where I imagine him filled with the peace and joy he longed for. It increases my own longing for heaven, too, although I hope to stick around for a good long time! Thankfully we don’t have to wait for eternity, […]
THANKSGIVING PSALMS: Drowning grief in gratitude
Thanksgiving Day rolls around regardless of events, and some years it’s easier to get in the spirit than others. This is one of the hard ones. Mark died just four weeks ago, and there’s been barely time to grieve. I am prepared to give thanks for his life; for 35 years of marriage and all […]
YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU: How to fill your heavenly “handbag”
Our house was broken into by thieves. Their target was our copper pipes, but they also nabbed a brass mallard, some sweet little Nikon binoculars, and a blanket of which I was inordinately fond. It could have been worse. They could have taken much more, and trashed the place, but they did not. This comes […]
RETURNING TO GOD…AND PRAYERS FOR UKRAINE
My heart is breaking over events in Ukraine. As I continue to meditate on the readings from Ash Wednesday, I’m drawn over and over to Joel 2:12–13— “Yet even now,” says the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning…” Joel is crying to a people crushed by an […]
RETURN: GOD IS CALLING YOU!
“Even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart…” (Joel 2:12) “Return.” The whole idea behind “returning” somewhere is that you go back to where you were before. And in the case of returning to God, even if you have never loved or followed him, he has always loved you. Before you […]
WHEN THERE ISN’T ENOUGH
He did it twice. Fed thousands of hungry people with a few loaves, that is. Twice and still the disciples didn’t get it. Comparing the two incidents when Jesus feeds the multitudes in the Gospel of Mark, here’s what I see: Mark 6 (the first time): Jesus calls the disciples away to rest. […]
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