C.S. Lewis said, “God whispers in our joy but sounds a megaphone in our pain.”My middle name is Joyce, probably given to me by the aunt who helped lead me to the LORD. She and my uncle had no children of their own, but she enjoyed naming others. This aunt and uncle always called me Joyce. Some of my grandkids call me Momma Joy. I’ve been provoked to ponder, where does my Joy REALLY come from?Just ...

I don’t know about you, but too often in my life, I am stressed about the possibility of messing up. I’m worried about not doing good enough. I want to succeed in whatever I do. What if I told you, it is impossible to fail with God. I know, I know. You’ve heard that time and time again. But things keep not working out and you keep failing. I don’t mean that you will win at everything you do with G...

1 Samuel 1 & 2 This is actually the second blog I have written for today. The first was on Samuel. “Why Samuel?” may be the first question you might ask. The answer I believe is a simple one. The elders are considering candidates for both the deacon and elder boards. Part of our process is an interview where we ask a series of questions about their personal lives, doctrine, theology and Bible know...

Just because we become followers of Jesus does not automatically mean we will always experience the abundant life that Jesus came to give us (John 10:10). Satan seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. If he can't have us, he would at least rather that we stay weighed down and unproductive in our faith. Sometimes we find ourselves weighed down by his lies and by our own negative self-talk. At these time...

1 Corinthians 1:25 “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”Our God is unlike any other! “Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11God is the only wise one. The wisdom of many people is that God should let any ‘good’ person regardless of religi...

In Numbers 19:11-13, Scripture forbids touching a dead body, stating that anyone who does so becomes ceremonially unclean for seven days. To be purified, they had to wash with water on both the third and seventh days. If they failed to do so, they remained unclean. Similarly, Leviticus 11:31-38, Numbers 19:16, and Haggai 2:13 reveal that this uncleanness could transfer to anything the dead body to...

I've been studying John's Prologue for a few months now, and I'm encouraged by the important differences I see in how Jesus and John the Baptist are described there.For example, John 1:1 says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (ESV). Just like Matthew and Luke, who give genealogies of Jesus to show how he comes from the correct or chosen blood lines, ...

A Psalm of David – Psalm 23After praying about what to address on this blog, in the early morning today Psalm 23 came to me.  This is a Psalm of encouragement whether things are going well or not so well with his children.Verse 1 tells me right away that He is not just the King of kings and Lord of lords, and over all things, He is our Shephard, as David was tending his sheep. “I lack nothing” mea...

Proverbs 31:10–31, the wife of noble character, is very familiar to many of us. But recently my attention was drawn to the first part of that chapter — verses 1–9 — which is a message that King Lemuel’s mother taught him. (The identity of King Lemuel and his mother are unknown, but her counsel is nevertheless wise!)A king is powerful, and he can have whatever he wants (up to a point). The desire f...

Romans 12:2 states, ”And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” As a counselor, I use this verse quite a bit with my clients. It meshes well with cognitive behavioral therapy which basically states that our thoughts control our emotions which control our behav...

Many folks we meet everyday don’t understand that Jesus is the King of Kings and ruler over all things both in heaven and on earth. They also have not heard that Jesus is appointed as the One who will judge the world in righteousness on a day that has already been set.As the Apostle Paul went on his missionary journeys and also while under arrest, he “proclaimed the Kingdom of God and taught about...

On Valentine’s Day, it is difficult to escape the prominent role that “love” or ‘true love” has in our culture.  Our culture has a fascination with “true love”—from romance novels to Hallmark movies, from dating apps to advice columnists.  Even advertising draws on romance to market its wares.  But can we really find “true love” in this life?  As a follower of Jesus, are we subtlety accepting cult...

Matthew 22:37-40 "Jesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, this is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."How do we love God with all the heart, soul, and with all the mind ? And our neighbor...

The book of Hebrews is written to a body of believers that includes a few individuals that are considering returning to their Jewish religion and turning their backs on Jesus Christ. The author pleads with the hearers through a series of sermons to not drift, not turn their back, and not be sluggish in their faith. Comparing Jesus the Messiah, as superior to each of the components of the Jewish re...

Fasting is a Biblical practice that is not often thought of as part of the modern Christian culture in America. What is it for? Why would you do it? What are the benefits? I recently did a small study on fasting in the Bible. To my surprise, there was not a lot of focus in the Bible on how to fast. Fasting is only mentioned a handful of times in the Old Testament and again in the New Testament. T...

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”1 Thessalonians 5:9–11 (ESV)Towards the end of 2024, many of my family, friends and coworkers found themselves dealing with some extremely heavy ...

Proverbs 3:5-6  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart                              And do not lean on your own understanding.        In all your ways acknowledge Him,     And He will make your paths straight." Roundabout paths are tough.  I remember an “opportunity” Heather and I had 13 years ago during our 20th anniversary. We were blessed to be able to leave our kids with my parents in Oah...

If you could be any character in the Christmas story, to witness the first nativity first hand, what character would you want to be and why?  That was the question we recently posed at a Christmas party with our church life group. Answers we heard – wise men, Joseph, the inn keeper, even animals in the stable. No one said Mary.  But the most popular answer – a shepherd. Why a shepherd? Because the...

Proverbs 1:1-71 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:2 To know wisdom and instruction,To discern the sayings of understanding,3 To receive instruction in wise behavior,Righteousness, justice, and integrity;4 To give prudence to the naïve,To the youth knowledge and discretion,5 A wise person will hear and increase in learning,And a person of understanding will acquire wise couns...

In this season of Advent, as we reflect on Jesus Christ being born in the flesh as a baby, let us consider Jesus’ first coming from the perspective of His great sacrifice for you and for me. The Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in it entered into his own creation, leaving the glory He had with the Father before the world began, entering into humanity to give His very life as a ...