Stringing Hosannas

O LORD, You are my God;

I will exalt You and praise Your name,

for in perfect faithfulness You have done marvelous things,

things planned long ago. [Is 25:1]

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, O LORD,

for it is good. [Ps 54:4,6]

I love You, O LORD, my strength. [Ps 18:1]

Praise be to the LORD forever!

Amen and Amen. [Ps 89:52]

There's Something About Carey Thompson (and other mysterious workings of the Holy Spirit)

5:19 p.m., Tuesday, May 14^th

Evening homeward drive-time and my thoughts screamed loud and clear; “Carey Thompson!”* 

I had no clue why I needed to call her. I thought I was just thinking about her.

So I called.

Over the course of the conversation she explained that her father passed that very day.

It didn’t quite sink in at first. Even though I knew her father was seriously ill, I blindly called—simply to express my love and concern, let her know I was keeping them in prayer.

I hung up awe-struck. Shocked at his sudden passing . . . and deeply moved that the Holy Spirit had obviously prompted me to check on a friend in need.

A Sunday Praise Offering

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to Your name, O Most High. [Ps 92:1]

Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,

praise the name of the Lord!

Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised! [Ps 113:1-3]

I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness,
and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. [Ps 7:17]

Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints,
and give thanks to His holy name. [Ps 30:4]

Divine Association

Reposted from the archives

“I work for such-and-such company.”

            “I go to this school.”

                        “I played for that team.”

                                    “I use that service.”

                                                “I know so-and-so.”

Associations.

We brag on them.

            Boast about them.

                        Feel secure in them.

If value is determined by association, then what does this verse say about your value?

Ascended on the 40th Day

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

[Ac 1:1-3]

These past 40 days since Easter have been on hyper-drive for me. Time accelerated and zoomed right on past at sonic speed.

For the same span of time immediately following the Resurrection, Jesus taught His disciples. This 40-day crash course on the kingdom of God prepared them for the miraculous to occur through them. They would be vessels of the Holy Spirit, instruments sharing the Good News of salvation through Jesus to an ever-growing body of believers.

An encouraging word for {wearied} mother's

The speaker took his place on stage.

The broad-shouldered, six-foot frame leaned comfortably into the podium.

The deep voice commanded the mic. Strong…clear.

And I watched in wonder at it all.

A Tribute to 6

6…

      paths converged and divinely joined

6…

      ties that bind hearts and souls

6…

      lives shared, growing in faith

6…

      different rhythms, beating in harmony

6…

      chosen directions, all following the same Way

6…

      lights that shine hope into our world

6…

      marvelous folks and marvelous friends

6…

      families proud

Mission trips

Camping trips

Trips to the mall

Bumps and bruises

fear and faith

joys and success

You’ve studied and prayed

traveled and played

worshipped and served

all in His Name…

together

6…

      eternally connected

6…

      committed to Jesus and one another

6…

      Soon scattered about—

      Go teach the world what “Be Him” truly means

The BHYM 6…

      we’ve been graced to love—

      and witness the heart of Jesus

      toward His Church

Piling Up Praise for Our Mighty Rock

The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! 

Exalted be God my Savior! [Ps 18:46]

There is no one holy like the Lord;
there is no one besides You;
there is no Rock like our God. [1 Sm 2:2]

He is the Rock, His works are perfect,
and all His ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is He. [Dt 32:4]

The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in Him. [Ps 37:23]

My salvation and my honor depend on God;
He is my mighty Rock, my Refuge. [Ps 62:7]

Amazement...in the whirl of things

It’s been a real whirlwind-of-a-week. One whirring of polar emotions and swirling moods.

Those of you that know the elation and torment of a firstborn graduating high school can undoubtedly relate.

To the swirl of emotions, add a cyclone of activities, topped by the vortex of days being sucked right out of the calendar into history, and you have one dizzying epoch.

The pace of the schedule in itself is grueling—racing from one program to another. And the faster I run, the harder I want to slam hard on the brakes.

But the crush comes when it’s not just about your “child.” It’s all their friends that have touched your heart in amazing ways over the course of their lives. Kids I have known most of their childhood that I have been blessed to watch grow and come rightfully into their own.

I have come to experience this new-to-me phenomenon I’m calling “multi-vision.”

Praise His Holy Name

You are my God, and I will praise You;
You are my God, and I will exalt You.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His love endures forever. [Ps 118:28-29]

Rejoice in the Lord, 

you who are righteous,

and praise His holy name. [Ps 97:12]

I will extol the Lord at all times;
His praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt His name together. [Ps 34:1-3]

One Aced Performance Review

One of the longest narratives in the Book of Genesis is of Eliezer’s quest. His procurement of a bride for Isaac consumes all of Chapter 24. His faithful actions perpetuated God’s plan. This record is a deserving honor for a dutiful and dedicated servant that revealed the providence of God.

What if we were to review his handling of this weighty assignment? I’m sure you’re all familiar with an employee performance review. (Maybe all too familiar?) He would most likely walk away with a promotion and a glowing recommendation.

Let’s look more closely at his admirable actions to see all the ways he exhibited true strength of character.

To shelter in place is to abide in this temple

This dwelling –

this sojourning place —

Jesus has made a shelter,

a temple for His Holy Spirit,

that I might tabernacle with God.

This body –

this temple –

is my shelter in place

where I journey with Him,

ever so near.

The God of the Heavens,

The God in Christ,

The God in me,

ever moved closer—

making this temple

His dwelling place.

God—

our shelter in place—

is neither above,

or beyond,

but within . . .
YOU.

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
[1 Cor 3:16]

* * *

For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
[2 Cor 6:16]