Each year, I listen to a daily audio Bible podcast—and complete the Bible in one year. This year marks my sixth year through the Bible.
Why don’t I stop?
Every year, I learn new aspects of the Bible because each year, I am in a different place in my life, and the Holy Spirit speaks to me where I am.
The Bible is always fresh! It is always alive!
It is the only book that has a Living Spirit within it.
Each year, when I get to Judges in the Old Testament, I say, “Oh boy!” because I know what is ahead.
Passover begins this evening.
It is one of the most significant Jewish Holidays, commemorating when the angels of God “passed over” the Hebrews as the firstborn children and animals of the Egyptians were killed—all because Pharoah would not set the Hebrews free as God commanded.
With this final plague on Egypt, Pharoah agreed to free the Hebrews so they might begin their journey to the promised land.
God instructed the Jews to commemorate the first Passover, when they had marked their houses with blood, alerting the angels to “pass over” their homes.
Christians draw parallels in their faith,
This week, I was listening to a minister on the radio who noted that in the days after His resurrection, Jesus did not appear to Pilate to tell him that he had been wrong in ordering His crucifixion.
Jesus did not appear to the Jewish leaders and chastise them for not believing and demanding His death.
He did not appear to the Roman soldiers who nailed Him on the cross.
Why?
Today, I was drinking in the beautiful hymns of Psalm Sunday. They are majestic, powerful, and inspirational!
Among my very favorites is All Glory, Laud and Honor. When I close my eyes and listen to the lyrics, I can feel all the emotions I imagine those present at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The hope. The joy. The expectation.
As Christians, we carry the hope, joy, and expectation at our Lord’s second coming. Feel this excitement. Play this song and sing along. It is a wonderful way to enter into the spirit of Holy Week.
What are some of your favorite Holy Week Hymns/ song?
There is a stark difference between how the world evaluates us and how God judges us.
The world evaluates us based on physical appearance, wealth, status, jobs, cars, homes, and worldliness.
Isn’t it interesting that none of these things is part of God’s formula for judging us?
It is quite the opposite.
I recently read a blog by Annie Holmquist entitled “Easy as a Sunday Morning.”
She cites a study by Dr. Pat Fagan that revealed that children performed better in school if they came from intact families. And they performed even better when that intact family regularly attended church.
Pat Fagan, a clinical therapist, notes, “The impact of religious worship is massive and powerful right throughout education. And it is a neglected aspect of education research. It is a scandal in the social sciences that this data is not made known.”
Annie Holmquist dug into the research. It revealed that of the students who received mostly “A” s in school,
Fathers are special people. One of the key roles they play in the lives of their children is to represent the love of our Heavenly Father. They don't have to be perfect--they just have to have their lives centered on God, with the primary goal of raising children who will work hard to bring His love into the world.
I have a very godly father.
He raised us to understand Who God is--to learn to follow His ways.
He did this through setting a strong example of prayer, Bible study, and service.
I can't imagine how difficult it would be to have a father who was faithless--
Things in this world seem unstable, crazy, and spinning out of control.
I don’t know where you live in this world, but I bet at times this year, you have felt the same way.
When I look around and everything seems in freefall, I take a deep breath and remember that:
- I didn’t make the universe.
- I can’t fix this mess.
- I don’t understand how things got so messy.
- I don’t know that path back to order and sanity.
But, there is Someone who does
