God Has a Better Plan

Two thousand years ago, Elizabeth wanted children. In her culture, children were her priority. She didn’t have any, therefore others looked down on her. Her society wrote her off as too old to be a successful Jewish woman. She was too old to have children. She was...

What Was I Thinking?

If I don’t finish a project before the end of the day, then there is a good chance that when I come back to it the next day, I will ask myself, “What was I thinking?” Until I remember what I was thinking, “I lose the bubble,” and just stare at it. Sometimes I think I...

There Is Always One More

Some people are born to be in sales. I was not. Most aren’t. So what makes someone so good at sales? Is it the gift of the gab or an innate ability to convince others against their will? If we don’t have the gift, can we ever do a job that requires it? Yes! The secret...

Double-take

Sometimes we have to do a double-take. We miss it at first glance, and we have to look at it again to really see it. In John 17, we read Jesus’ prayer to the Father. In this single chapter, Jesus uses the word “world” 18 times! How important was the world to Jesus if...

That Dog Don’t Hunt

A general stood on stage, quoting an old first sergeant from Georgia, “That dog don’t hunt!” What he meant was that something didn’t make sense. What he really meant was, “Something happened, but it doesn’t make sense to me that it should have happened.” Generally,...

Greek Yogurt Is Terrible

Johnny stood, mouth open in disgust. “It gets stuck between your teeth, is too tough to chew, and tastes like day-old Dr. Pepper. Greek yogurt is yucky!” He wrinkled his nose even thinking about it. Jen paused her spoon an inch from her open mouth. “Have you ever...

Ozymandias

“Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” That’s the only phrase I remember from that poem. We read it in high school and were taught that it had a double meaning. On the one hand, Ozymandias wrote it to terrify other kings into submission. On the other hand, it...

That Just Sounds Wrong

TV commercials sell products. If you remember the commercial but not the product, then the commercial failed. I remember a commercial that sold something, but I don’t remember what it was. I remember  the commercial because a teenage daughter shouted at her...

Reading Between the Lines

Have you ever been told, “Read between the line.”? Sometimes it is a subtle social cue, like not being invited to a wedding. Other times it is painfully obvious, like someone making a statement by wearing white after labor day…. Do we need to read between the lines to...

Something was lost in translation

Language doesn’t always make sense. If you were to ask a new-to-English-speaker, “What’s up?” the logical answer is, “the sky.” That answer does not actually answer the question that was intended. America’s favorite Bible verse is kind of like that. We see it on...

New Testament

Denying Jesus

Denying Jesus

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar? Not me! That’s a fun song for small children, but when the question is, “Who is a Christian?” how shall we answer? The answer is of paramount personal importance. In John 18, Peter denies Jesus three times (vv. 17, 25, and...

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Seeking the Wrong Jesus

Seeking the Wrong Jesus

“Bring me a rock.” I hated getting taskings like this. We went and found a “rock,” only to find out the boss wanted a rounder rock, or smoother, or purple. We wondered if the rock we found was the right one. Of course, the military seldom looks for rocks, but some...

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Double-take

Double-take

Sometimes we have to do a double-take. We miss it at first glance, and we have to look at it again to really see it. In John 17, we read Jesus’ prayer to the Father. In this single chapter, Jesus uses the word “world” 18 times! How important was the world to Jesus if...

read more

Old Testament

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