Tag: Devotion

Prayer John 1:29-34

Dear Jesus, Sweet Lamb of God, How I long to be like John the Baptist—a burning, shining lamp who calls out… “Look! Look to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Thank you for the work you have done so that you can remove it as far as the East is from the West and throw it into the sea of forgetfulness. Our sin binds us. It makes us sick. It confuses us and makes us ridden with guilt. It is a disease destroying our souls.  But You, Lamb of God, You gave Your life so that our sin can be dealt with. We can be healed and be made whole to become the humans You created us...

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Hope

I don’t like disappointment. You don’t either. Nobody does. And let’s be honest, waiting gets old— real old, real fast. In a co-writing session yesterday we talked about how hard it is to sit around the table at a small group study listening to others share about their answers to prayer. Of course, you’re legitimately happy for them, but inside you’re secretly praying, “When is it my turn?” “When is my day going to come?” You’re hoping for it, but the hard reality is that it may never come—at least in the way you imagined and in the time frame you so desperately want. We’ve all been there—if...

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Access

Oh, the extremes we go to block access to our hearts from Jesus, the Caretaker of our souls! Sometimes we offer our treasures and valuables, but those tragic traumas… No way! We take those and sink to the bottom of our hearts, where it’s the deepest and darkest, and then start a building project. Yes. A building project. We build walls and surround those with an electric fence with barb-wire. You know, like a high-security prison. All the while, the One who loves us most watches it all. He watches us work feverishly to lock Him out of the dirty dungeon He already sees. How much pain could...

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A Gift For and To Us

I probably shouldn’t be writing a blog this morning. God knows I have a million things to do. And who will read it anyway, because everyone else has a million things to do too. I’m writing because I can’t stop thinking, and it will make me crazy until I spill a few thoughts on paper.  For me, this Christmas season has been busier than usual. First, I led worship at a ladies’ retreat in November, and then the following weekend, I met up with my songwriting family in the mountains to write for a few days. The following weekend was Thanksgiving, and then the next, I directed a Kids’...

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Passing The Baton

I recently wrote an article for a Wesleyan commentary website on a passage that captures what some scholars say is Paul’s last will. One gold nugget I found from the passage was the importance of mentoring. I noticed how Paul wasn’t afraid to leave behind the ministry because he was leaving it in good hands. The Scripture is 2 Timothy chapter 4. In verse 5, Paul says, “As for you…” and then he proceeds to give Timothy final instructions. In verse 6 Paul writes, “As for me…” and goes on to say the end of his life is quickly approaching. As I read “As for you…As for me…” I imagined Paul as a...

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God: A Redeemer of Shame

Guilt and Shame. Ugh! Don’t those two words make you want to close your eyes and mumble, “please, no!” I feel my cheeks grow warm at the thought of those two words. Guilt is heavy. Guilt makes our heads droop. But Shame? UGH! Shame has a way of shutting us down and shutting our mouths. I’ve been thinking about shame- and how it works in our lives. Shame is a pillow that snuffs the voice. It’s the hand over the mouth. I read an article recently that asked what shame tastes like, sounds like, and smells like. This is what I wrote in my journal: Shame tastes like lukewarm water—or maybe a bland...

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