Ephesians 3:9-10 Chosen

Has God chosen you for a specific task? I’m in the grandma stage of my life, so I have a lot of years and choosings to look back at. I realize that God chose me for certain tasks at different stages in my life. It was only about ten years ago that I thought, “Aha.… Read More

Parental discipline instills power and expertise

We are born with little power or expertise—we depend on those around us for everything. As we grow, we internalize and identify with how things are done, and we develop coping mechanisms based on our experiences. The power a child needs as he grows into adulthood comes from his early identification with authority. Were his… Read More

Ephesians 3:7-8 What’s your excuse?

What’s stopping you from doing God’s mission for you? When I read through Paul’s list of excuses, I was surprised at the similarity to mine. I had always thought of Paul as an extremely confident, know-it-all kind of guy, and here I was reading a list of his anxieties about himself–lots of excuses giving his… Read More

Blueprint for character building

A blueprint is a detailed plan. Building a house without one is risky if you want it to last for any length of time and withstand weather or natural disasters. You need to follow rules of design that build strength in all the right places so rain won’t come through the roof and strong winds… Read More

Ephesians 3:4-6 Come on in, ya’all!

The original non-discrimination clause.   Ephesians 3:4-6 (New Living Translation) As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has… Read More

Let love out of the box

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:13 (NLT) Live in freedom—use… Read More

We always need love

The need for love doesn’t just disappear when we reach adulthood. It is at the center of our emotional desires. We are made in God’s image, and his love is poured out all over us. But because we have boxed in love and developed incomplete and sometimes unhealthy definitions of it, it can be hard… Read More