The disciples were fishermen and skillful at managing a boat on the Sea of Galilee, but when a sudden storm came up, they were frightened. They didn’t know what to do. When they woke Jesus, who was asleep in the boat, they had no idea how he was going to…
Have you heard the phrase, “the greater good”? It refers to choices for the good of society, the good of a nation, outweighing individual rights. A high priest once spoke about the greater good for Israel. Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up.…
Jesus was a teacher and storyteller. The book of Matthew records numerous stories. While speaking to a crowd he told the parable of the sower who encountered different types of soil. (Matthew 13) Speaking to his disciples he told the story of the lost sheep (Matthew 18). There are many…
One of the Christmas cards I received had a drawing of Mary and Elizabeth. According to the book of Luke, Elizabeth was the first to learn of Mary’s pregnancy after the angel had appeared to Mary. She believed God’s plan. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby…
Throughout the past year my husband and I have been reading through the Bible. Today our reading was from 1 Chronicles and Isaiah. The books we have read clearly illustrate human nature and the problem of sin in the lives of people who have gone before us. After God chose…
Over the past few weeks, I have been reading How to Pray by Pete Greig and discussing the chapters with friends from our church. Chapter 6 focuses on intercession. In this chapter Greig gives an example from WWII. He recounts the events of 1940 when allied troops were trapped on…
As a nurse I have worked through the night and welcomed the morning. Before my marriage I worked in the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Michigan (Holden Unit). I worked the night shift, 7 pm to 7 am. Around 5am we took turns walking along a corridor…
During a difficult season of life our faith in God can be shaken. What has helped people in the past? We have examples in the Bible that point to communication/relationship with God and the experience of love and acceptance. We are blessed to have God’s word—the Bible. Moses and Elijah…
The garden is a place where my mind is at rest. Sometimes when I am troubled the words of a hymn come to mind. A hymn that I sang as a child–the words imprinted in my memory. It is good for the church to sing hymns. It is good for…
Today’s prompt for Five Minute Friday is complete. My thoughts went to the first epistle of John. My Wednesday morning Bible study just reviewed the first chapter. And we are writing these things that our joy may be complete. 1 John 1:4 John, the beloved disciple, gave us the gospel of John…