When we talk about being saved, Christians generally believe that they have been saved from the penalty of their sins and assured a place in heaven.  Denominations vary as to the details of what salvation means and of how we get saved.  Perhaps Roman Catholic churches have the most deliberate system of training children that…

I was raised in protestant churches and my husband was raised Catholic.  When we got married, neither of us had a strong connection to our childhood churches.  Because of his job, we moved frequently and attended churches of many denominations. I experienced the rich liturgy and reverent communion of the Catholic mass.  Singing in the…

In the last blog I referenced James 1:27 from the ERV “The worship that God wants is this: caring for orphans or widows…”  It was a little strange that I remembered the verse that way because I have never used the Easy to Read Version before.  Most versions are translated “the pure and undefiled religion…

I freely confess that I have not done well with the challenge to give up TV for lent.  I have many excuses, at least one of them is pretty solid. Nevertheless, the root of the issue is that I don’t think I can do it. I believe the lie that I need the distraction of…

In a past blog we spoke about judgment and how it is like a boomerang.  Judge not lest you be judged. If we have acknowledged Jesus as our LORD, we will be saved, based on His righteousness, not our own.  But the Bible also says that we will stand before Jesus for judgment and give…

Last Sunday I took a friend who can no longer drive, to her home church. She was showered with greetings from long time friends, the worship was wonderful, the sermon was excellent.  In closing, the preacher announced that the season of Lent begins on February 18th.  He reminded us that fasting for those forty days…

I seem to have gotten ahead of my story. We lived with my parents for over a year. Dad gave my husband a little cash every Monday so he could drive to his mother’s house on Long Island to look for work.  I would put my two little ones on the back of the pony…

A few years ago, I asked a godly couple to pray with me about some issues.  I was struggling with shame and self-condemnation. I also had a problem with being easily offended by other people, and reacting badly in the moment.  During this prayer time the Holy Spirit reminded me of the high school friend…

James 2:10 states that “…whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”  He is making the point that partial obedience is still disobedience.  Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man expands on this (Matt 19, Mark 10, Luke 18).  After justifying himself by declaring…

One of my earliest memories was when my grandmother had come to stay with my brothers and I for a few days. She was trying to help me get dressed and I told her “I can do it my own self!!” Self-sufficiency pretty much characterized my life.  Although I was taken to church, attended Sunday…

I can remember my mother chiding me for being too critical of people when I was young. It is a fault in me that I still wrestle with and is a source of frequent repentance. I spoke of forgiveness a few days ago and it could be described as a boomerang—what you send out is…

Do you ever wake up in the night, so awake you feel compelled to check the time? This morning it was 4:00 am on the nose and I was thinking I should go back to sleep.  And then a familiar verse popped into my head. “You are loved with an everlasting love…and underneath are the…

“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil …” Matthew 6: 13 James 1:13 clearly states “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”  We are naturally vulnerable to temptation through what John called…

 It is easy to skip over the word “as” in Matthew 6:12, but Jesus wasn’t quite done speaking on forgiveness. After Amen, He added verse 6:14-15 for emphasis. “For if you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your…

“Forgive us our debts (trespasses, or sins) as we forgive our debtors.” Matthew 6:12a Do you remember your mom making you say you were sorry to her or to someone else, when you weren’t sorry at all?  She knew you weren’t, but somehow the offended party got a sense of justice from the transaction.  She…

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” -Matthew 6:10 Have you ever really thought about what that sentence means, and whose job that is?  Two thousand years ago, God sent Jesus, but He did ask for help from a young girl named Mary and her fiancé, Joseph. Then…

“Give us this day, our daily bread.” Matthew 6: 11 The people of Israel lived in pagan Egypt, for almost 500 years. They came in empty, but were welcomed and highly favored at first.  A later Pharaoh subjected them to harsh slavery. God heard their cries and called Moses to deliver them from bondage.  He…