We Are The Temple
I have committed myself to the urging of Romans 12:1. My heart studies the mercies of God. My body, my being, is my gift to…
I have committed myself to the urging of Romans 12:1. My heart studies the mercies of God. My body, my being, is my gift to…
View More We Are The TempleI present my gift and wait for your response. Are you delighted or disappointed? If this is true of my gift to you, imagine presenting…
View More A Lovely GiftIt is a big ask, something that will take effort and create difficulty. Yet, here it is: “. . . offer your bodies as…
View More The Big AskI hear the voice of a committed coach, a passionate teacher, a loving parent, or even a concerned “Dutch” uncle: Therefore, I urge you.…
View More Therefore, I Urge YouThe year 2021 taught two lessons: “fear” and “cynicism,” imparted by a syllabus of visceral hostility, conspiracy theories, identity politics, cancel culture, and tribalism. I…
View More Embrace 2022 With God’s MercyGod, (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) promises full salvation now and in the world to come. We believe and promise to live in alignment with…
View More Renew Your PromiseFacebook today: “The first rule of 2022 is to not dwell on what went wrong in 2021. God has a plan.” How do you respond…
View More God Has a PlanThe Magi confronted Herod with a fearful question, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews” (Matt. 2:1). The announcement of…
View More Jesus and the Powers that BeNothing about January 1st warrants transformation. “New” does not emanate from a New Year. “New” emanates from He who said, “I am making everything new”…
View More What is New in a New Year?My Sunday School class read this prayer together at our Christmas Brunch. It is a lovely prayer. Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus,that…
View More A Christmas Prayer“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world” (John 1:9). –Light comes to Mary in the quiet solitude of her…
View More The Lord Has Come“There was no guest room available for them” (Luke 2:7). Why? –First, census time was a busy time for an innkeeper. –Also, if he admitted…
View More Prepare Him RoomToday, the Winter Solstice delivers the longest, darkest day of the year. I’m reminded that Christ arrived in the long, dark night of the world’s…
View More Night Gives Way to Light and SightThe story in the Old Testament, the story of God’s creation, human rebellion, and God’s salvage mission to redeem and restore the earth unfolds, twists,…
View More The Story Needs Good NewsAll the Old Testament, all of God’s promise, all of Israel’s hope, the salvation of a broken world are found in an embryo inside Mary. …
View More The Lord Has Come“The Lord departed” (Ezekiel 10:18); God removed his Presence from Israel’s Temple. He continued to send prophets, watch over the exiles, and shape history for…
View More A Family Reunion“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it” (John 1:5). The light, Jesus, was born into a dark world. What…
View More The Light of JesusPower in the Palace breeds politics, not peace. Magi brought news of a child/king, and when “King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all…
View More Our Prince of PeaceThe Everlasting Father of Mary’s Child is our Heavenly Father. The Divine and Human fully reside in the Son. How can this be? “The Holy…
View More Our Everlasting FatherThe “mighty” aligned against shepherds. Accused and sometimes guilty of thievery and other night-time shenanigans, proper society shunned sheepherders. SHOCK: The Might of the Almighty…
View More Our Mighty GodJoseph needed counsel. His betrothed was with child. Nazareth was divided over the issue. Send her away or stone her. Joseph carried the choice. During…
View More Our Wonderful CounselorEmpires and nations, with their mighty armies, could not achieve what God accomplished through a baby, “. . .to us a child is born. .…
View More Be Born in UsOn the 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, the trigger that propelled the United States into WW2, may I observe: When human beings want to change…
View More God Sends a BabyA world-renowned work of art: the Sistine Chapel (on display in Nashville (https://sistinechapelexhibit.com/nashville/). God’s strong hand (right) is determined to reach Adam (left). Adam’s gesture…
View More God’s Reach/Our ResponseProphecy is in the story: 1-Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 12ff) remind us of Zacharia and Elizabeth (Luke 1ff); 2-the birth of Issacs (Gen. 18:10-11) points…
View More The Story is Older Than You KnowAre we a bit obsessed with the symptoms; the types of various “sins”? Jesus came to heal and cleanse us from our sins. Jesus also…
View More Treat the Disease, Not Just Symptoms“My dear children, I am very anxious that you should know something about the history of Jesus Christ. For everybody ought to know about him.…
View More Charles Dickens, For His ChildrenChristmas is more than a merry diversion in mid-winter. There is a dark side: an attempt to stone Mary, Herod killing children, and Caesar claiming…
View More Why Christmas is MerryAn odd thought for us: Ancient Hebrews believed that God had abandoned them at the time of Exile. Israel waited for centuries for God’s return. …
View More God Has Returned (Immanuel)“Come Thou Long Expected Jesus,” the oft sung hymn on the first Sunday of Advent, lifts thanks to God for past fulfillment and future promise…
View More Come, Expected Jesus“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving” [W. T. Purkiser (1910–1992) a preacher,…
View More The True Measure of ThanksgivingAs money is the currency of the marketplace, attention is the currency of the spiritual life. Lord, guard, capture, and focus my attention. I will…
View More Give Me Your AttentionA cup is designed to hold something. It must be expected that the “something” will be emptied out and replaced with something new. I cannot…
View More To Fill, Empty, and Fill AnewI shout a warning, “It’s a trick.” In Eden’s Garden, our first parents fall prey to the lie, “You will be like God” (Gen. 3:5). …
View More Don’t Be FooledGod created humanity in His image (Gen. 1:26-27). The essence of God’s image is a thorny quest fully revealed in Jesus (Col. 1:15). However, the…
View More A Mirror Reflecting Wisdom and PraiseA spiritual admonition: “Oh, begin! Fix some part of every day for private exercises… Whether you like it or not, read and pray daily. It…
View More O, Begin!If you choose, you may recite our Lord’s Prayer as ritual, routine, and without obligation to action, with one exception. In the prayer, Jesus requires…
View More As We Forgive OthersFor many, the Bible is a book of rules. In effect, the Bible is a story revealing God’s character, our need for God, and God’s…
View More To Advance God’s PlanForgiveness: “decision to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge,” (The Mayo Clinic). But resentment seems the best defense against further harm. Yet, God,…
View More God’s Weapon of ChoiceJohn sees the “scroll,” God’s plan to save the world. Who can open it? An elder “said to me” that the “Lion” will rescue us. …
View More The Compassionate Side of HistoryLord, I’ve so much to accomplish today. My impulse is to push past our moments together and advance Your mission. Yet, you choose Your disciples,…
View More Be With, then Send Out“Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:19). Lord, we are grateful in times of abundance and pleasant surprise. But “all circumstances,” in everything? Draw…
View More Thanks, in All Things?“Read quietly, slowly, word for word. . . more with the heart than the mind… From time to time make short pauses to allow these…
View More Read the Bible Slowly“Your tolerance of silence is a fairly good indicator of your spiritual depth” [“Contact with God,” Anthony de Mello]. This statement is true and convicting. …
View More Enjoy the SilenceYour sinning-self squirms and struggles against being found out. Yet, God placed a deep longing in your true self, a desire for Him. When you…
View More God’s Grace Has Found YouLord, protect me and use me in the face of testing and temptation, changes and chances, discouragement and despair. Guided by your light and defended…
View More Make Your Name HolyMy granddaughter is a 7-year-old artist. I watch the intensity on her face as she draws her lines, selects the colors, and applies the finishing…
View More God’s Work of ArtAnnounce to the brokenhearted: Pain is not forever. Hope and healing will find you. Trust, and don’t rush. There is no detour around the work…
View More No Way to Bypass Pain“My way is all of trust and love… It is enough to realize one’s nothingness, and give ourselves wholly, like a child, into the arms…
View More Only ChildrenTo hold on to what is essential, to get to the “root” is the meaning of “radical.” To cleave to the essential root, no matter…
View More To Be RadicalI gaze at my newborn granddaughter and realize again; We are innocent before we start feeling guilty, in the light before we enter darkness, and…
View More Grace that Precedes GraceAnxious, restless, angry, full of desire, yet never satisfied. Our compulsiveness keeps us going. Are we getting anywhere? This path leads to exhaustion and burnout. …
View More You Are God’s BelovedThe spiritual life, in the best of the great religious traditions, is about the quality of relationships, especially the way we care for and treat…
View More Love Your EnemiesMy new computer arrives on Tuesday. I’m excited and fearful. I must “migrate” from the old to the new. God’s children must migrate from the…
View More More Than InstructionsSolitude is the furnace of transformation into which Jesus submitted himself. He faced the temptation to be relevant [“turn stones into bread”], to be spectacular,…
View More Identity in GodWe are created to hunger for God, and God yearns for a relationship with us. Yet, we still hunger. Why? Perhaps we have not come…
View More Come Home; Time to EatLord, we don’t always or readily respond to you. We may be confused or afraid. We may be willfully obstinate or negligent. Sometimes we don’t…
View More You Wait for Our “Yes”Believers ask, “What can I do to advance God’s work in the world?” God has given you a unique combination of personality and gifts; put…
View More God’s Design for YouCheap [fabricated] grace is forgiveness without repentance, communion without confession, salvation without the cross, and grace without Jesus. Costly [authentic] grace is seeking his presence…
View More Grace: Fabricated or AuthenticLord, I believe that sooner or later we must put You first in life. You do not become the only thing in life, but you…
View More I Need Your SpiritThousands of years ago, a devout Hebrew, tossed by the storms of life, silently knelt before God in the temple. His prayer: “For God alone,…
View More Holy Silence; Worldly UproarLord, I know two things about living in, for, and through you. First, I must say YES to what renews and affirms my life in…
View More Say YES; Say NOLord, political rancor, talk-shows, divisive relationships, loss of civility for increased insolence, and constant bantering and blaming drown me in an unholy uproar. I must…
View More Unholy UproarOne of the dangers of spiritual growth is that too much emphasis can be placed on results, on how we are doing, or how we…
View More Time to ReturnTo find inside yourself what makes life worth living is a risk. Once you know, you must seek it as a “pearl of great price”…
View More A Life Worth LivingWhen in the valley of death, you are still my God, and I trust you. Jesus is the strength of my faith. On the cross,…
View More My God, My GodFather in heaven, I don’t know where I’m going. I cannot see the road ahead. I pray that I am following your will, but am…
View More To Please You, LordGod wants everyone to know his will. He doesn’t withhold grace, play games, or tease us to test our faithfulness or worthiness. God is far…
View More God Wants You to KnowTo discern God’s will, pay attention to what goes on around you and inside you. Listen to Scripture, trusted friends, and the faithfulness of the…
View More Watch, Wait, ListenDeep in the layers of history, beneath the wretched upheavals of sin, God’s love and pleasure in human creatures abounded. When the moment was right,…
View More God Swept InWe are citizens of the Kingdom of God. In Scripture we catch a vision, experience a taste, and find a hunger for what life in…
View More Live As If…Do not wait for special moments to listen for God’s voice. Simply listen, trust, and obey. All experiences, ordinary and extraordinary, carry God’s message and…
View More Do not Wait to ListenThe one who sets the course of this road, and whose entry into it defines the way forward, is the same who walks beside us,…
View More The Road TurnsAre you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world, stronger than hate, evil, or death? Are you willing to believe…
View More Willing to BelieveGod created us for a purpose more amazing and beautiful than we can envision. We are created in God’s image in order to have continual…
View More To Love and Be LovedThe challenge is to receive divine truth from above and pull it down into the ordinariness of everyday living so that it is, in fact,…
View More The Ordinariness of LivingAs recipients of the New Birth, through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are destined to be conformed to the image of Christ, who…
View More Spirit of the Living GodThe words of an old prayer: “Our wills are ours to make them Thine.” Luke opens his Gospel with Mary’s prayer, “let it be to…
View More Make My Will Your Will, LordThe word “radical” means getting to the root, to what is essential. The most radical thing about the Christian faith is the love of God. …
View More The Radical Love of GodI see my new granddaughter. I am reminded, “We were innocent before we started feeling guilty, we were in the light before we entered the…
View More God’s Grace from the Beginning“The world has changed,” was my first thought. I looked for the Almighty. I did not see Him in the planes that struck the towers. …
View More I Looked for God“What I really lack is to be clear in my mind about what I am to do, not what I am to know… The thing…
View More What Am I To Do?There is an old, hackneyed phrase that has fallen out of use, “We need to get under the spout where the glory comes out.” I…
View More The Glory Comes“Whether you like it or not, read and pray daily. It is for your life; there is no other way.”John Wesley, “A Letter to John…
View More For Your LifeEvelyn Underhill has observed that the whole of the inner life, “swings between the unseen and the scene.” Both are important, but the “seen” is…
View More What We Do Not SeeIn a practical sense, spirituality is about the quality of our relationships, the way we care for each other. For Christians, spirituality in our relationships…
View More It’s About RelationshipsFor a Christian, spirituality is found in Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, we are aware that life is sacred, that we share a sacred journey, and…
View More God’s Human FaceBased on the model of Jesus, Henri Nouwen notes that “solitude is not a private therapeutic place, rather, it is the place of conversion, the…
View More Solitude: Conversion, not TherapyJesus, alone in the desert, faced the desires born of the world: to be relevant, [“stones into bread”], to be spectacular, [“throw yourself down”], and…
View More Alone TimeGod created us to long for Him. God is our genuine home. Jesus, God’s genuine Messiah, invites us to come home, “learn from me, for…
View More Come Home“What am I supposed to do?” You are a unique combination of personality, experiences, and gifts. Put into practice the design that God has put…
View More What Do I Do Now?The opposite of “serious” is “superficial.” We are called to take our life in Christ seriously. “So, if you’re serious about living this new resurrection…
View More Are You Serious?“Take my yoke upon you” [Matthew 11:29]. The call to follow Jesus is a confrontation with costly grace, grace that breathes a word of forgiveness…
View More My Yoke Upon YouCheap grace forgoes discipleship, ignores the cross, and diminishes Jesus Christ. Costly grace calls us to follow. Costly grace is sought again and again.Adapted from “A…
View More GRACE: Free, not CheapWhen you put God first in life, and live as if God is truly first, you will become simpler and quieter even if life may,…
View More Simple and QuietWhen you put God first, you find that, in time, you do a great deal less running after things that do not matter, things that…
View More Less RunningWhen you put God first, you find that, in time, you get rid of unnecessary junk* that most people carry. There is mental junk, of…
View More Off Load the JunkSooner or later, you must put God first in your life. It need not, perhaps it had better not, be the only thing in your…
View More The First Thing“For God alone, my soul in silence waits, from him comes my salvation” [Psalm 62:1]. Oh, ancient singer, you have our attention, and we long…
View More Teach Us About Silence1-Wisdom nurtured in God’s Word;2-Courage born of Faith in Christ;3-Fellowship developed through Spiritual Adventure; and4-Mystery, the gift of God’s Grand Purpose.
View More How to Follow the Risen Lord“Yes” to all that makes us fully alive in Christ.“No” to anything that lures us away from Him.
View More “Yes” and “No”Saint Francis shuddered when he realized that everything depends on God. And, if the whole world is in God’s hands, why doesn’t He just drop…
View More God Loves the WorldToo much focus on results endangers the life in the Spirit. Are my prayers answered, is my growth fast enough, do my acts of service…
View More Focus On GodI will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.from Thoughts in Solitude by…
View More I Will Not FearLord, hear my prayer: “Whatever I do today, may it align with your perfect love. If I do this, O, Lord, I have faith that…
View More Lead Me by the Right RoadThe fact is, I desire to follow your will. Yet, at times, I’m not always convinced I am doing so. However, I know this, the…
View More The Desire to Please YouGod wants you to know his will. He doesn’t tease, play games, or withhold his goodness to test your faithfulness or worthiness. God is far…
View More God Wants You to Know His WillThe fruit of prayerful soul-searching is self-knowledge, not self-justification. We draw to God and see ourselves as sinners. The result is that we cannot condemn…
View More Soul-Searching PrayerSpiritual discernment asks us to pay attention to what goes on around us and within us. Attend to scripture, advisors, faithful friends, prayer, and the…
View More Spiritual AttentionThe One who sets the course of this road, and whose entry into it defines the way forward, is the same who walks beside us,…
View More We Walk His RoadAre you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world, stronger than hate, evil, and death? Then you, my friend, are…
View More The Footsteps of JesusJesus Christ is of no importance if He is not of supreme importance.
View More Something to Think AboutOur unlimited God has a communication problem with limited humanity. We find the answer to the problem in Jesus Christ. God is amazingly like Jesus.
View More God is Amazingly Like JesusTo trust and obey means “pulling the truth revealed to me from above down into the ordinariness of what I am thinking about, talking about,…
View More Ordinary ThingsLook up, you whose eyes are fixed on this earth. . .Look up, you have turned away from heaven. . .Look up, you whose eyes…
View More Look Up! Salvation is NearAttend to the prescribed externals such as going regularly to church, and don’t go off the deep end. They are pleasing to God… Nevertheless, we…
View More Off The Deep EndFor human beings, the spiritual life is no straight line of unimpeded progress. It is, however, by God’s unwavering goodness, always undergirded by grace.From Companions…
View More God’s Unwavering GraceIt is God’s purpose that we are to be conformed to the image of Christ, who is himself “the image of the invisible God” (Col.…
View More A Work of the Holy Spirit Called Sanctification“Spiritual” is not something we ought to be. It is something we are.The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard
View More What We AreThe whole purpose for which we exist is to be thus taken into the life of God.Mere Christianity by CS Lewis
View More Into the Life of GodTwo measures of growth: first, in our natural life, we grow in wisdom, responsibility, and maturity. On the mirrored path, our spiritual life, we grow…
View More Duel Paths of GrowthOur particular calling in God’s service comes from our response to God’s call to be available.Companions in Christ: Participants Book, Part 4, Gerrit Scott Dawson
View More To Be AvailableIn one sense, the story Christianity tells is one that can be so simply told that we find the whole thing on a small Christmas…
View More The Whole Story of ChristianityPaul Tournier, the great Christian doctor, declares that life, in order to be life, must necessarily be dialogue. . . . The supreme dialogue of…
View More Jesus is Dialogue RestoredMy heart is steadfast oh God… Because Your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; Your faithfulness extends to the clouds (Psalm 57.7-10 ).
View More Because YOU are SteadfastThe spiritual life is more often questions in search of answers. God speaks in the questions. When we investigate the questions, we often find the…
View More Investigate the QuestionsThe resurrection does not solve all our problems nor answer all our questions about dying and death. But it does reveal to us that, indeed,…
View More Love is Stronger than DeathThe power of stories is that they tell us that somehow life adds up. We believe that the true story of the world is God’s…
View More The True Story of the WorldSpeak Your Word to me, my Lord, your servant is listening. I yearn to hear Your voice and to be transformed by You.[From, “A Guide…
View More I Can Hear You NowGod’s promise: if you listen to my Word, I will answer you. I will not leave you in the darkness of doubt. Always I seek…
View More If You ListenWhat is the depth and quality of your faith commitment? In the last analysis, faith is not a way of speaking or even of thinking;…
View More A Way of LifeAbraham Lincoln’s words in 1861, timely in 2021: We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it…
View More Our Better AngelsGod’s apparent lack of “restraint” when it comes to creating things is but a symptom of a deeper lack of “restraint” we find in our…
View More God’s Lack of RestraintWe see deception in our world. It is not unexpected that we guard ourselves against the truth of the Gospel, afraid the story is too…
View More I believe, Defeat My FearLord, remember your word of promise to your servant in which you have given me hope. Your promise is my comfort in distress. Your word…
View More Remember Your PromiseFor the blessing of this home, oh Lord: for foundations and roof, for windows and doors, for strong walls, and for floors and furnishings.This place…
View More For a House that is a HomeFather, Today I have only a moment for fast food. Today all my moments are fast and frantic.May I, at other times in my busy…
View More Only Time for Fast FoodLet us make a meal to remind our family and friends that life will not always be so burdened, that their days of exile will…
View More A Most Excellent MealFor those of us who prepare meals, let us labor with compassion, with imagination engaged, knowing that we are cooks in the kitchen, but we…
View More Chefs for Body and SoulMay I recall the parable of soil and rags, soap and water and cleansing. Open my eyes to see my own faults, my own weaknesses, …
View More God’s Laundry DayO, Lord, Teach me each day the way of Christ, That I may better serve those I lead. [Every Moment Holy, Vol. 1]
View More That I May Better LeadOur Father in HeavenProtect us from the temptations of earthly fathers. To be angry, neither smoldering nor shouting, To be distant, neither relationally nor physically,Our…
View More A Prayer for FathersJesus, be ever-present as the mediator between me and my employer, between me and my supervisors and coworkers,and in all my dealings with others in…
View More Evidence of My DevotionOh God, grant that my heart might be ordered aright,knowing that all good service faithfully renderedis first a service rendered to You. Receive my service,that…
View More All Good ServiceWe now give thanks to God with the blessings of this day. We praise you, O Father, for the provisions of food, and shelter, and…
View More Thanks to GodIf our hearts have already been tempted to believe anything about ourselves or others that does not take into account your creation, your mercy, your…
View More If the Heart is TemptedOh, child of the living God, what is your father’s greatest desire for you this day? That I should love our Eternal King with all…
View More For This DayLord, you are equally present in our failures and in our successes, in our sleep and in our wakeful hours, in our tears and in…
View More God is With usPastor E. V. Hill* used to tell of a time he received a death threat from the Black Panthers because they didn’t like his preaching about that “white Jesus”. This was his reply:
View More E. V. Hill and the Black PanthersWHAT’S GOIN’ ON? What a week in the life of our nation. The news lands one blow after another in the past week.
View More What’s Happening to U.S.?A Message for Pentecost Eve It is such a beautiful day. I had a brisk walk this morning, followed by some excellent reading. Now I…
View More Tongues of Fire and Burning Buildings“Do you have the recipe?” I’ve been asked time and again about the recipe for the chicken served at the “Dinner Theater.”
View More I Want That RecipeI received a beautiful Thanksgiving poem I want to share with you.
View More When Giving Is All We HaveI hope you enjoy this four-minute video: https://trevecca.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=b06cfc7e-a4b5-49df-b8c0-ae37017ce09f Richard L. Parrot
View More OUR FATHER