Rewind

People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy. (Ecclesiastes 9:12) Read: Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18, 2 Corinthians 7:8-16, Psalm 48:1-14, Proverbs 22:17-19 Relate: There was a show my mom used to watch when I was a kid. I think it was called…

The Arrival

But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus. (2 Corinthians 7:6) Read: Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12, 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7, Psalm 47:1-9, Proverbs 22:16 Relate: There are a few people I know that everybody just loves being around. Some people just have a gift to always be an encourager. When you get…

Faithful With The Now

Read: Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:22, Corinthians 6:1-13, Psalm 46:1-11, Proverbs 22:15 For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Relate: Five dollars a day. I’m 40(ish) years old. If I were to put away five dollars a day every day into an account like an IRA or 401K, by the time I was…

His Thunder Roars

Read: Job 37:1-39:30, 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:10, Psalm 44:9-26, Proverbs 22:13 God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power. (Job 37:5) Relate: Part of growing up in a big family was that we tended to have big vans. Some little minivan wouldn’t have fit all of us. No, we had a…

Broken and Patched Up

Read: Job 34:1-36:33, 2 Corinthians 4:1-12, Psalm 44:1-8, Proverbs 22:10-12 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. (2 Corinthians 4:7) Relate: I had a large bowl of pasta in each…

The Most Important Thing

Read: Job 8:1-11:20, 1 Corinthians 15:1-28, Psalm 38:1-22, Proverbs 21:28-29 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures…

The Pain (8/22/13)

Read: Job 4:1-7:21, 1 Corinthians 14:18-40, Psalm 37:30-40, Proverbs 21:27 Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant my desire. I wish he would crush me. I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me. (Job 6:8-9) Relate: I’m allergic to raccoons. Not just raccoons, cats and dogs, mostly dogs, cows and horses, even pigs. I…

Generosity

Read: Job 1:1-3:26, 1 Corinthians 14:1-17, Psalm 37:12-29, Proverbs 21:25-26 Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give! (Proverbs 21:26) Relate: I did an internship in the Bronx a good 20 years ago or so. There was a White Castle nearby and it was my first experience with that sliver of grease they…