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"I looked for someone among them [to] stand before me in the gapon behalf of the land so I would not destroy it." Ezekiel 22:30 If you've traveled to London and ridden The Tube, you've heard that robotic voice warn, every time the doors open, Mind The Gap! It's a serious warning for our protection - the gap between the platform and subway is often substantial. No one want...
Keep ReadingI looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land (Ezekiel 22:30a). Are any of us under the illusion that the world is on track to achieve tranquility and human flourishing all by itself? In fact, was there ever a time in history it could have been saidtaking all f...
Keep ReadingI looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord (Ezekiel 22:30-31). It's hard to build a wall. A ga...
Keep ReadingFrom inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God (Jonah 2:1). Since we are currently looking at Jonah, this recent news clip was too good to pass up. Earlier this month, Michael Packard, a lobster diver, was 45 feet deep in the coastal waters off Provincetown, Massachusetts, when he was suddenly gulped inside the mouth of a humpback whale. "All of a sudden, I felt...
Keep ReadingJonah 2 Have you ever been in a group setting where a volunteer is asked to pray? I help out with our high school student ministries group, and each week we ask if anyone would like to pray before we share dinner together. It's comical how quickly all conversation stops and all eyes look down when that question is asked! Adults are guilty of this, too, you know. Myself in...
Keep Reading"In trouble, deep trouble, I prayed to God. He answered me. From the belly of the grave I cried, "Help!" You heard my cry (Jonah 2:2 MSG). To get off on the right foot, I humbly acknowledge that just now I didn't know where to locate Jonah in my Bible. Although I knew the story didn't I? I'd heard it as a kid, I'd read it to my own kids, surely I'd heard sermons on it. I...
Keep ReadingWhen my life was ebbing away, I remembered you Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy templeBut I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, "Salvation comes from the Lord!" (Jonah 2: 7, 9) I do not know a lot about marine biology. My education comes from either watching Shark Week or Hollywood movies. Wh...
Keep ReadingFrom inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God: "In my distress I called to the LORD and he answered me You hurled me into the deep But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs" (Jonah 2:1, 2, 3, 6, 8). God uses all kinds of things to invite us into prayer, including the gut of ...
Keep ReadingI have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes (Psalm 119:59). What are my "ways," anyway? My ways are my customary habits, my regular patterns my "default modes," that is, the behaviors I automatically return to, usually without thinking the "rails I run on" my inner instincts and attitudes that get translated into my daily behavior, often withou...
Keep ReadingPsalm 119 I was thirty years old before I began appreciating and even enjoying exercise. It's a long story as to how I arrived, but what I discovered when I got there is obvious: there are numerous approaches to moving one's body, and all are beneficial in their own ways. Yoga is a great way to work on strength of mind and body by ways of increasing strength, mobility, a...
Keep ReadingSeven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws. Great peace have those who love your laws, and nothing can make them stumble. I wait for your salvation, Lord, and I follow your commands. Psalm 119: 164-166 I have a confession to share. When I first read through these verses, I thought to myself, "Seven times a day? Ain't nobody got time for that!". While contempla...
Keep ReadingPsalm 119 My favorite college class was on Psalms. Our first assignment was to categorize each of the psalms in a spreadsheet. We created our own categories (worship, lament, praise, etc.), and after reading each psalm we put them in the appropriate column(s). I had never studied scripture so methodically, and it was enriching in heart and mind. (It also jump-started my ...
Keep ReadingPsalm 119 all of it? Throughout this summer we'll focus on making more room for God in our lives. Are there things ordinary people like us can do that would enlarge our capacity to be attentive, receptive and responsive to the Lord? No surprise: our answer is Yes! Yes, there are habits, exercises and even some "experiments" that we can try on and try out. But the goal i...
Keep ReadingNext Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test (Matthew 4:1 MSG). This week our third-grade granddaughter will be taken by her parents to her school where her teacher will administer the test that will determine her students' readiness for fourth grade. If Miriam passes the test, there will be two results. She will know she has learned what is needed to en...
Keep ReadingJesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every wordthat comes from the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4). We moved to the central valley of California in May 2012. Those first months in the "Golden State" were sunny, warm, and full of palm tree sightings...but they were also overwhelming. My husband was busy learning and traveling for his new ...
Keep Reading"Jesus answered, it is written." (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10) I don't enjoy exercising, have never felt that "runner's high," but I know I need to exercise for itsbenefits. Discipline is tough but pays off in other ways, too: healthy eating, productive study habits, financial budgeting. What about spiritual disciplines or habits, such as daily devotional time, a Bible reading sch...
Keep ReadingThen Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry (Matthew 4: 1-2). When I was recently at a cookout, my eldest son, Liam, kept coming up to me. "When is dinner going to be ready?" Then, "I'm hungry!". And finally, "I'm starving!" Luckily for him, it only took me a few minutes to...
Keep ReadingMatthew 4:1-11 Happy Monday, happy summer! Our new sermon series is going to run all summer, so we'll have to help each other maintain focus as we enjoy a very different summer from 2020! We're so looking forward to making room for things that the pandemic seemed to squash out of existence: travel, family get-togethers, beaches, national parks, barbecues, sports, celebra...
Keep ReadingSo the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. When evening came,Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve (Matthew 26:19,20). I have many fond memories of sharing family meals: the cousins at their own table while aunts and uncles gathered nearby; everyone eating, talking, teasing, and always laughing. Holiday dinners look a little diff...
Keep ReadingWhile they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it,and gave it to his disciples (Matthew 27:26). Every single time. Every single time the New Testament refers to the Lord's Table (eucharist, the Lord's Supper, communion) in all four Gospels, in Paul's letters, in the feeding of the five thousand (the only of Jesus' miracles to be recorded in all four Gospel...
Keep Reading"This is my body...this is my blood poured outfor many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matt. 26:27-28) Strapping on crampons for a glacier hike in Alaska, I noticed the backpack of the woman next to me. Trim size. Attractive colors. North Face - a label symbolizing everything my off-brand backpack did not, an outdoorsy status, an exclusivity I wanted to identify with. The ...
Keep ReadingOn the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" (Matthew 26:17). Considering the contents of Scripture, God has chosen to communicate with us most often via story. The stories He has included there invite us in, speak to us, and then stick with us. Scripture...
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