Exhale with Cookie  Biblically

As I amble through Genesis, as my current Bible study, the mercy of God is highlighted in the story of Cain and Abel in Chapter 4 of the story of beginnings. There are many summaries people make of the details in this story of two brothers and how God accepted one's offering while rejecting the other's. Then, the first murder was because of uncontrolled anger. God would warn Cain before he murders his brother of the changes needed to redirect himself. God's words are refl

When we read the story of Jesus' birth in the books of Matthew and Luke, we cannot help but recognize God's faithfulness in loving his creation, mankind. We love the parts of the story where God uses ordinary people to invite them to see the promised Messiah. In the book of Luke, we read of the appearance of the angels to the shepherds, men and possibly women, others would see as less than. Men and women no one else would think to invite to one of the most critical events

As we prepare for one of the most significant times of the Christian calendar in celebration of the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, we read about all those who were made aware of the birth of this new King. He was born most unconventionally. We read of a man named Simeon, devout and given a promise that he would not die until "The Consolation of Israel arrived." The Scriptures describe him as filled with the Holy Spirit—a man of significance. In Matthew, we read of

One of the anecdotal pictures that went viral on Facebook that I love was the one that shows two men, one in a suit and the other looking disheveled, and we learn they are brothers. The statement above the picture of these two men states, "You're born looking like your parents. You die looking like your decisions." One man says, "My dad was an alcoholic, and I followed after him." The other man said, "My dad was an alcoholic, and I decided not to do what he did." The Scr

The ebb and flow of bad times with good can determine the reality or strength of our faith, faithfulness. The quality and permanence of our walk with God must cycle through evening and morning. As I read through and study Genesis, there are many spiritual truths we can pull out without eisegeses, butchering the text, or adding too much of what "the text means to me." The New Testament allows for many spiritual realities from the Creation narrative to be pulled into our wal

I am positive, putting my life on it, positive, that I am not the only one who allows bad news, hurtful comments, or irritations to consume my thoughts without trying. The ease with which bad things can consume us came to my mind this morning. And, as only a loving parent, God drew my attention to the truth of my need to train or discipline my mind. The reason it must be redirected is that it will always go to the lowest common denominator, Me, Myself, and I. Our thoughts

Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." I grew up reading the Bible and becoming very despondent about being told that we can hold to the promises of God with 100% trust. God does not lie, and his promises are "Yes" and "Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20). I did not see this passage fulfilled in my life, not even in the small areas where God could have patronized me to build my faith. When I addressed this with other believers, I wa

First, we accepted the quick pace of life by falling into the convenience of immediacy. Fast food fills our families because our busy schedules have dictated that we grab a meal quickly, without hesitating over what we are putting into our bodies. We accepted this because being busy had become our new norm, and Mom did not make time to make a healthy meal. Dad did not protect the family from over-scheduling themselves. Spending time going from one event to the next to help

Colossians 2:11-12 "In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men, but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead."   Old ways of doing things are hard to give up.  What is the saying? "Old habits die hard." "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."  I am sure there are more that

Deuteronomy 29:19 "... when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace, even...

One of the most emotionally trying types of counselling is working with a person struggling with their marriage. Most struggles arise...

Luke 11:28 "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."     Right before this statement of truth from Jesus, someone...

We can raise our children biblically, yet choosing to rebel or be righteous is theirs. They do not all go the way of their training,...

While doing the homework for my ladies' Life Group on Psalms, "Rebuild," by Susannah Baker, I discovered a Psalm and verses that called...

Don't let the advantages of God's gifting us with his word be taken for granted. America has a massive advantage. While Israel had a...

If we grasp this truth, we will trust God deeper when life tests our faith with challenging circumstances. As I studied for my next book,...

Many people talk about God calling us out of something while not sharing the reality that God called His people to something. Day 12 of...

God must deal with rebellion. This is observed on Day 11 of the 90-day Bible read-through , Numbers 16-28. We will read the subsequent...

Day 10 of the 90-day Bible read through, Numbers 4-15. In Numbers 15: 27 " ‘Also if one person sins unintentionally, then he shall...

God's Interactions, Day 9 of the 90-day Bible through.  Today the reading was through Leviticus 17 - Numbers 2. I have loved reading the...