God is love…and He holds all things together by the word of His power (1 John 4:8; Hebrews 1:3). It could be said, then, that the love of God is the context in which His will unfolds. The love of God is also the context in which our lives unfold. We have choices because He wants us to choose Him in love. If we consider our choices to only reflect right or moral behavior, then we have missed the point. If we make the choices of others only about right or moral behavior, then we are religious zealots without grace, without mercy, and without hearts to hear the voice of…

The world view is often that “faith” is blind. On the contrary, faith is true, crystal clear sight. And by it we see all circumstance and situation as being sifted by the almighty hand of God, our Father. We see Him, our sweet and triumphant Savior, coming relentlessly in love to bring us home. And by it we know for certain there is no thing that can separate us from His love (Rom 8:39). I need this truth. I cling to it. In the best of times and in the worst of times, the absolute fact and certainty of His love for me and the power if His shed blood…

I know that I need the Lord, but I don’t always turn to Him…first. I can often travel quite a distance before I realize that I am trying to prepare myself to reach out to Him. I am trying to find the right words, or trying to figure out what I really need, so that I can enter into a conversation with Him. Truth is, if I would just acknowledge that He is already with me, I would be in fellowship with Him and we could discover the right words and the clarity of my situation together. Isn’t that what He promised? “And lo, I am with you always, even…

We feasted in the months of November and December. We celebrated. Now, in the new year, we set our face to fasting. I happen to relish this sacred rhythm, and I have learned over the years that no matter what I choose to sacrifice during this time, what I gain is a far greater treasure. Our pastor said today that one definition of “fasting” is, “giving up something good to obtain something better.” I know that most people make “New Year’s Resolutions.” They resolve to do things differently, set different priorities. And I’m all for recalibrating. It’s a good thing to take stock, reevaluate, set new goals. Here’s the thing:…