I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. (Psalm 57:9-11) “The Space Between” Before I became a pastor and church...
Thirsty Thursday But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? (Psalm 56:3-4) Time to Throw Down Writing these weekly “Thirsty Thursday” posts for the past year has made me keenly aware of other, clever weekday alliterations....
If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me, I could hide. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers. (Psalm 55:12-14) Losing Sweetness As she got older,...
Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you; I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good. (Psalm 54:4,6) The Problem with Free Will For centuries, theologians and philosophers have discussed the “problem of free will.” To what degree do we humans have the ability to...
God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Do all these evildoers know nothing? (Psalm 53:2-4) The Answer My family has a fun habit of...
“Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin.” (Psalm 52:1) Bad Heroes In 1966, Italian film director Sergio Leone produced the classic Spaghetti Western, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” starring...
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways so that sinners will turn back to you. (Psalm 51:12-13) The Power of Then If you know me personally, or if you’ve read enough of my Thirsty Thursday posts, you know that I love words....
“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” (Psalm 50:14-15) God’s People? Maybe you’ve invited a neighbor or coworker to church and heard the excuse: “Why would I go to church? Christians are all so judgmental!” Of course, whenever I...
Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, both low and high, rich and poor alike…People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. (Psalm 49:1-2, 12-13) How Much is...
Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! (Psalm 47:1, NKJV) “Hands-On Training” You know those obnoxious advertisements that always pop up when you’re watching YouTube, doing a Google search, online shopping or just about or anything else? I saw one just today that was advertising a licensing...
