I John 3:16-18, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

I woke up with the flu this morning. It seems my attempts at healthy and whole eating have momentarily failed me. My friend ran to the grocery store before 10:00 AM to get me juice and graham crackers (sometimes you just have a hankering for one thing and one thing only). “Are you sure you don’t mean saltines?” she replied. Hmmm… “Nope, graham crackers it shall be.”

We are so dialed in here in America. A slight fever and I’ve got 40,000 choices of drinks, snacks, restaurants, soups… all the while, thousands of God’s creation have died or are dying in the rubble, and I truly have no idea what to do with this knowledge. I can make no reconciliation here, simply I can cling to this passage in I John that doesn’t explain, it only tells: this is what love is that we lay our lives down for our brothers and sisters. That we give out of our immense options and poverty to those who are in desperate need.


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When God Doesn’t Open A Door

When God Doesn’t Open A Door

When stepping out in faith, I’m the person who’s looking for the open door. I want the specific answer, the “thus sayeth the Lord” moment, the talking donkey. I want to know my step of faith is grounded in the Lord’s direction. The “open door” tends to be one of the things I look for. But is that always the right criteria?

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A Big Fish Story From The Amazon

A Big Fish Story From The Amazon

As they shared what it’s like to not always know how you will feed your family, Pastor Manuel said, “But God’s timing is always perfect.” I asked him if there was a particular experience behind that statement. With an engaging smile and his wife nodding beside him, he said, “I have just the story for you.”

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Easter Post: Jesus, The Perfecter of Our Faith

Easter Post: Jesus, The Perfecter of Our Faith

Not only is Jesus the Source of our faith, but He’s also the Perfecter of it. Maybe it’s just where I’m at in life right now—a little low, a bit tired, disappointed in some areas, hurt in others—that makes me want to shout from my couch “praise Him!” I’m relieved to know that the perfection of my faith doesn’t rest with me but with Him.

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Jesus, Our Intercessor

Jesus, Our Intercessor

Right now, you may need an intercessor to go between you and your parents, your boss, your spouse, your professor, the judge, the president. But you also need an intercessor all the way to the very top—all the way to God. There’s simply no intercessor more important in heaven or on earth than the One who can stand on your behalf before God. The author of Hebrews tells us that His name is Jesus.

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