1 CORINTIANS 16:14 “Let all that you do be done in love.” LUKE 6:35 “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great…” It’s Mother’s Day weekend. Maybe you are off to brunch or there will be a slideshow at church for all the new babies or you need to put an alert on your phone to remember to CALL …

ROMANS 7:17-18 (the Message) “But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it.” So the kids had superhero day at school last week. Charlie wore his “Batman in a wheelchair” t-shirt which is …

NEHEMIAH 8:9-10 9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. 10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to …

JAMES 1:12 12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. When my childhood church built a new sanctuary, all the kiddos got to go in and write verses on the concrete foundation. I was twelve at the time. James 1:12 is what I scribbled in permanent marker in a corner of the would-be “bridal …

ISAIAH 44:22-23 I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,     your sins like the morning mist. Return to me,     for I have redeemed you.” 23 Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this;     shout aloud, you earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains,     you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob,     he displays his glory in Israel. When I think of conversion and that moment in which life pivots on the before and after, the imagery in Isaiah makes …

  There have been other dates, sure. But not date dates, not real outings where we make a dinner reservation at a place that does not have paper menus and we split a bottle of wine and talk above the glow of a real, non-electric candle. Instead, we have supplemented with a few hours out to a matinee while my mom played Sudoku quietly in the living room on her iPad and the kids napped. …

 1 PETER 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Happy Easter and hallelujah! Today, I’m sharing a poem by Madeleine L’Engle. It’s more often been associated with Advent, but for me this IS the resurrection and the definition of hope and celebration in a darkened world. …

MATTHEW 27:42  42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.” We are knee-deep in the season of Lent…that time of giving over our wants in order to experience the waiting, the little tugging of emptiness not filled, that is so necessary to turn the dial of our minds and bodies to God’s tune. I spent …

PROVERBS 16:1-3  To humans belong the plans of the heart,     but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. 2 All a person’s ways seem pure to them,     but motives are weighed by the Lord. 3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do,     and he will establish your plans. The first time I ever sent a text message, I was twenty, studying abroad, and standing on a cobbled street in St. Andrews, Scotland. It was drizzling, per usual and I was …

ROMANS 5:6-8 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We are well on our way towards Easter. The resurrection is drawing near and with it all the celebration of our …