Let us pray. Lord of the simple life, Your words bring order to the complexities of life all around us. In our vying for supremacy of our lives, we too easily lose sight of You. In our wanting to control we have forgotten that we are part of Your creation. We are not islands unto…

Let us pray. Lord, when our strivings seem to be insufficient to please those who judge us, when the accomplishments turn into failures, when our hearts loose hope, help us to be still with You. Lord, when the world around us tries to sour our hearts to Your unfailing love, when perceived friends speak their…

Are you expecting to encounter Jesus? We live in a society with many expectations, the expectation to grow up, to finish school, to become self sufficient, the expectation to be good Christian and follow God’s commandments. To be honest some of these expectations are more expected than others and there are other expectations that I…

Have you ever noticed that on days when you are expected to be joyous it can be a struggle? We are in a “joyous” time of the year yet for many it is a time of great stress and doubt. A time when the struggles in relationships seem to become more pronounced. A time when…

Let us pray. Lord of all creation, Lord of life, You know all the intricate nuances of our beings, of who we are as persons. You are also the great physician caring for Your people, Your children. You are our help when we are sick. You are the one who brings healing whether it is…

Let us pray. Lord Jesus as we near the third Sunday in Advent, the Sunday of Joy, we must acknowledge that joy does not fill each heart, that peace is hard fought in the simplest of circumstances, and hope is hard to find let alone recognize. With so much deep seeded pain that is tearing…

What does it mean to live in God’s sanctuary? The idea of a sanctuary is a safe place, a place of refuge, a place set apart from the dangers and trials of this world. For some it is a place to meet with God Not to be little or say that we do not need…

In Nehemiah chapter 6, Nehemiah’s doubters,or more accurately his character detractors or even attackers, use the pride fear spectrum to try and create doubt in Nehemiah. Part of it was about his own purpose but part of it was to be about his own identity.   First they tried to suggest that Nehemiah was wanting…

Nehemiah had to deal with distractions. He had people who had power trying to convince him that God’s purpose was wrong, that Nehemiah was being prideful, that the king was going to change his mind and stop Nehemiah away. The hardships that were all around him, the struggles that his people were facing, trying to…

You may have heard of the term post-modern, relating to the era that some would say we are in that is after the modern era. Depending on who you ask, the modern era with its values, ideas, practices, and general way of doing things started somewhere between the 1600’s or as late as the twentieth…