General Posts

Read: Isaiah 53:4-9 Reflect: Have you ever taken the time to consider what God chose to do and what Jesus chose to do to save us from ourselves? You see, all humankind is condemned from the day of the first sin in the Garden of Eden; the first act of disobedience. God’s choice to offer His only son to atone for our sins was an act of indescribable love and Jesus’ choice to die for us was an act of…

Read: John 13:1-15 Reflect: Do you all like that show Under Cover Boss? This passage reminds me of that show. Jesus is the Boss, and He wasn’t really undercover. He just wrapped a towel around himself. Peter refused at first, but Jesus convinced him to participate. Undoubtedly, everyone stopped and solemnly witnessed Jesus placing himself in the role of servant to His disciples. Can you imagine all the miracles this group of people have seen–all the good works done by…

Read: John 18:1-19:42 Reflect: Crucifixion was the worst punishment known to man. It was so brutal that it was inappropriate to use the word in conversation. Jesus knew all the pain He was to go through, but yet He did not resist being arrested and carried to His death… Pain is everywhere. Pain is in all souls and cannot be avoided. It’s hard to find triumph in the painful stages of life–whether it’s physical or emotional. God’s faithfulness through suffering…

Read: Matthew 26:14-25 Reflect: I’m sure we all have been betrayed at one point in our lives. Maybe it was not as bad as how Jesus was betrayed by Judas, but we all have been betrayed on some level at some point. I’m also sure we all have betrayed someone before, at some point on some level. When you think about it, we’re all as bad as Judas in some way. We have all betrayed Jesus at some point in…

Read: John 13:34 Reflect: I always find it helpful to define the subject matter. In this case, love. There are four types of love mentioned in the Bible. Phileo—Brotherly love, love based on common interests. Eros—Love that is self-gratifying, based on what is important to self. Storge—Love that refers to the kind of love that occurs naturally between family members, ex. Mother and child. Agape—This is the love that God is—super natural love. God says, “A new command I give…

Read: Mark 11:1-10 Reflect: I always imagine that this scene, of Palm Sunday, was full of excitement. As a child I would wave palm branches as vigorously as I could and shout “Hosanna!” as loudly as I could as I acted out this scene in Sunday School, imagining that I was welcoming Jesus to my city. Now that I’m older, I wonder how long this excitement continued for the people and if it was even there for the disciples to…

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:56-58 Reflect: Did you hear that?! Read it again – “God gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” If I am God’s, then I win! Sometimes I think we forget that we are winners! We stumble around fussing over details and deadlines, oblivious to the Good News and big picture of our alternative reality – in Jesus I have victory over all this mess! The mess of life is real – I…

Read: Matthew 10:42 Reflect: How do we give? Who do we serve? What are the reasons? God fills us to the rim with purity and leads us to make the decision of who, when, and why we serve. God gives us the ability to open our hearts to help those who are thirsty and we must stop and be still so we can see where he is leading us. Then, we decide whether to obey or not. Once we start…

Read: Romans 1:16 Reflect: When I think about being unashamed I think about a song I love singing at the top of my lungs. It is a song from my high school days. The song is “Love You Out Loud” by Rascal Flatts. Here is the chorus: I’m gonna stand on a rooftop, climb up a mountaintop Baby, scream and shout I want to sing it on the radio, show it on a video Baby, leave no doubt I want…

Read: 1 Peter 2:2-3 Reflect: There’s a new restaurant in Chattanooga that offers all you can eat Brazilian bar-b-que meat. If I had it my way, I would eat there at least once a week. I love meat. Protein in almost any form is so succulent and delicious to my pallet. If you are anything like me, your mouth is now literally watering. Beyond protein, since I am a bit of a food critic, there are specific menu items I…