Bible Study
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New Years Goal – Let it out
The whole chapter of Psalm 32 is amazing and filled with hard truth but backed by grace! This Psalm is thought to be written by David after he was confronted and repented about his relationship with Bathsheba. The prophet Nathan confronts David’s sin in 2 Samuel 12. It’s hard to read because it’s like the movie where you the spectator see what is coming up but the person being confronted in the movie doesn’t see it coming. It’s painful to watch the story unfold. David has committed a huge sin against God. Stepping outside what God has given him and stealing what didn’t belong to him. Nathan’s rebuke is direct…
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Psalm 91
How can we study scripture and apply it to us?
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Has God promised you?
Has God promised you or is this a want that you have set expectations around? It's an important distinction. What should I focus on?
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Be careful what you pray for
Remember the time you prayed for God to change you? Maybe you’ve asked Him to show you where you are walking in sin? How about show you areas of your life that you have idols? What happened when God started answering your prayer requests? I’m going to guess that if it’s anything like what He does with me, you suddenly find yourself in a puddle crying often wondering what has happened. It’s painful and hard to see the forrest through the trees. It’s not like God has been mean or accusatory but really it feels more like He has allowed the veil to be moved back a bit so that…
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Don’t Stop Believing
What do we do when we see that we haven't met our goals? How do we deal with pain and disappointment in our past. How can I have hope in the future?
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Scary Prayers – Part 2
In part 1 of Scary Prayers I shared what Jesus taught His disciples about how to pray and why that is hard. There is one other prayer that Jesus shares with us that I think qualifies as a scary prayer. This one in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Matt 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, Luke 22:39-46) Jesus often used the name Abba (father in Aramaic) when He spoke to God. I love that He modeled an intimate close relationship with God as a fatherly one. One that shows God desires to be near. Here we see Jesus in the garden. Now just hours before His crucifixion. Jesus knows the time has come…
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Scary Prayers – Part 1
“Praying with the intent to obey, regardless of the answer given, is the most difficult of prayers.” I’ve been thinking a lot about my prayer life lately. I’ve been challenged to look hard at how I pray to see if it lines up with scripture. I wonder if I am “doing it right” or if my prayers are effective. I want to be casual when I pray. I want to take my laundry list of needs to God and tell Him how to fix them for me. I really want Him to do it quickly because I took the time to tell Him. But what I want more than all…
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Forgiveness -A how to, from someone who is working on it.
First, let me start by saying I am not the expert on this subject. I am merely a student of the Word. I have walked through hurt and created hurt for others which I have needed to ask forgiveness. This is what I have adapted in my life and marriage. And what I pray continues to grow in me. Forgiveness is a tough one. It’s not something that we can address once and wrap it up in a nice, neat bow never to worry about it again. I believe that is why Jesus said to forgive 77 times. Matthew 18:21-22 NIV 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how…
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Security, Provision, Love
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Devastated – Can I ever be restored?
It’s summer here in Utah and it’s warm. Often to get away from the heat we head to the mountains to cool off and spend a little time at a lake unwinding. Recently drove through an area that had had a devastating fire last fall. The fire burned for weeks destroying nearly an entire mountainside. As we drove up the mountain into the burned area, I was reminded how bad the fire had been. You could see the burned trees still standing, charred and black. Under them no foliage had yet begun to grow back. But what stuck out to me more than the damage done by the fire was…