Heart Work

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you... Ezekiel 36:26-27a

This past Christmas, Debbie and I wanted to give one of our sons a new bike.  Through an unfortunate series of circumstances, his previous one was rendered completely unusable and had become an eyesore in our garage for months.  So before shopping for a good deal, our first step was

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The Privilege of United Prayer

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Acts 1:14, NIV

Something I love about united prayer is the opportunity it affords for "all" to come together.  Our 10 Days of Prayer experience a few weeks ago reminded me of this as I saw whole families participated in some of our group gatherings.  There were times when even my youngest lifted her voice in praise or petition, adding to the ongoing conve

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Wait for the Promise

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father... Acts 1:4, NKJV

"I can't wait!"  It's an expression of enthusiasm and eagerness.  When we say it, we're not admitting a literal inability to wait, but we're giving voice to the difficulty of being patient until the fulfillment of whatever our expectation might be.  And that's just it.  Waiting isn't always welcomed.  Like the other night when o

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Search Me

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. Psalm 139:1, NKJV

How do you feel when someone in your life really knows and understands you?  I'm a relatively private person, which might sound strange coming from someone who fills a role that involves frequent public communication. But because my personality defaults to keeping my thoughts and feelings to myself, it's a pleasant surprise when someone truly understands me without extraordinary effort on my part to explain myself

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Inseparable

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20

Time for a quick test of knowledge! What is the most isolated point on earth? I am not asking for the most isolated people, or land. I am asking about the most isolated point on our planet. Fun fact before giving you the answer; when the International space station passes above this place the people on the ISS are the closest human beings to it. Okay at this point you have either clicked out of the a

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I Will Do a New Thing

Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? Isaiah 43:19, NKJV

Earlier this week, I sat with my family reflecting on the ways our faith in Jesus has been strengthened throughout 2025.  It was a special time to look back in our rear view mirror --not just for the sake of nostalgia, but for the sake of seeing Jesus and discerning His activity in our past experiences.  As the calendar turns into a new year, we stand in a unique position no

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The Journey of Christmas

I am the way the truth and the life John 14:6

December 2025 here in Denver has felt like anything but Christmas. At least a typical Christmas here. As of writing this the expected high for December 25 in Denver is 65. For many that's wild, for me that's more my speed. I grew up in a tropical climate where 65 would be considered way too cold. It makes me think about how we have different expectations for this time of year and how life has some strange curve balls. Interestin

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God is For Us

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31, NKJV

Whose side are you on anyway?  It may not be a question we say out loud, but when we even ask it at all in a close relationship, something is wrong.  I've found that when group dynamics or family relationships are strained, it's often the result of feeling like we're not on the same team.  Something was said or done in a way that signals we're not pulling in the same direction

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Waiting on the Lord

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!  Psalm 27:14, NKJV

Waiting is never fun, but it's an unavoidable part of our human experience.  When we wait for delayed shipments, long drive-thru lines, or siblings occupying the shower in the morning, it can sometimes feel unbearable.  But when we feel like we're waiting on God for an answered prayer or long-awaited change of circumstance, it can try our patience and, even

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Courage For All Times

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide:  “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea

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Letting God's Peace Rule

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” Colossians 3:15, NKJV

Thanksgiving is here, Christmas is around the corner, and all the happy feels of the holidays are fully upon us.  But what happens when the anticipation of family gatherings and holiday meals stirs more anxiety than eagerness?  I’m not just talking about having to endure long grocery lines or crowded airports.  For many of us, there are relationa

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A Life of Love

And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'" Matthew 25:40, NKJV

When Jesus told the parable of the sheep and the goats, He wasn’t trying to scare anyone. He was trying to reveal something simple, something surprisingly down-to-earth about what it means to be ready for His return.

He described a scene that will one day unfold: the King returning in all His glory with e

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Knowing the Master

Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.  Jeremiah 24:7, NKJV

Have you ever noticed how much our interactions with others depend upon what we believe about their character? If we trust someone, we draw near; if we fear they’ll hurt us, we pull away.

In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells a parable about a man who, before leaving on a journey, entrusts his

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Give Me Oil in My Lamp

The wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  Matthew 25:4, NKJV

Waiting.  It’s an unavoidable dynamic of our faith journey, but that doesn’t make it an easy part of our faith journey. Whether it’s waiting for a prayer to be answered, for healing to come, or for Jesus Himself to return, waiting tests what our hearts are made of.

In Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins, everyone had lamps and everyone fell asleep while waiting for the bridegroom. But when the midnight cr

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Signs of Salvation

So when you see standing in the holy place "the abomination that causes desolation," spoken of through the prophet Daniel — let the reader understand — then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Matthew 24:15-16, NIV

Sometimes warnings can sound frightening.  But when they come from someone who loves you, they’re really signs of protection.  A parent who says, “Don’t touch, it’s hot!” may come off sounding harsh.  But that warning isn’t meant to strike fear in t

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