It’s not fair! We’ve all said that at one time or another, but Paul tells us to think again. 20-33 Who in the world do you think you are to second-guess God? Do you for one moment suppose any of us knows enough to call God into question? Clay doesn’t talk back to the fingers that… Read More
Kathie’s Roman Digs (Week 12–Romans 4:13-25)

Verses 22-24 in The Message transliteration summarize the thrust of this chapter, and to make meaningful, I personalized it. Read these verses out loud with your name. This is the truth of the gospel living in us through faith. I didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. I plunged into the promise and… Read More
Bible Doodle: 2 Cor. 5:7

I just spent two weeks caring for my 95-year-old mother whose recent infection caused confusion and distress. We talked about this verse a lot–this is the hope she lives with. She trusts God’s promises for her, even when she’s not sure what today or tomorrow holds. Faith lets us release control to the ruler of… Read More
Bible Doodle: Romans 8:28

These words come from the song “Oceans” by Hillsong, and this is my prayer. TRUST is a concept that is easy to understand, but often really hard to do Your experiences may have led you to believe that you are the only one who really knows you and will take care of you. But God… Read More
beating the bad-day blues

I can’t fix it, change it, or make it go away; It’s here to stay, to run its course for better or worse. What do we do with things that make us sad–especially the cloud bringers that we have no power to affect? What if it’s something important, life-changing, or dangerous,… Read More
could this be the help he is providing?
God’s promise in Psalm 46 says: God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. You tell me, “But I prayed for help. I cried out on my knees and through my tears for help and no help came.” Could it be true? I know that God always keeps his promises–that… Read More
anticipatory anxiety
Anticipation. Hearing that word, many of you in my generation will think of the Carly Simon song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67oN0YQVgdo). I’m humming the chorus right now. But if I’m honest, for much of my life anticipation was all about worrying–“preparing” as I liked to call it. “What should I wear? What will I say? What will they think? What if he gets… Read More