When Lightning Strikes

For You bless the righteous, O Lord; You cover him with favor as with a shield. – Psalm 5:12

Tacks bearing prayer reminders and Bible verses haphazardly litter the cork board behind my desk, a stark contrast to the orderly home around it. In a fading but elegant script on a torn piece of notebook paper is written Psalm 5:12. It reminds (more…)

Maintaining Perspective

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. – Philippians 2:3-4

It stormed last night just as I was getting ready to leave for choir practice. If you’ve ever seen a Florida storm, (more…)

Prepare to Suffer for Jesus

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. – 2 Timothy 3:12

This morning I read a story about Atlanta Fire Chief Kevin Cochran, who was fired because of the biblically aligned content of a teaching materials he had written for his church. This came on the heels of another story of a substitute teacher (a Gideon, (more…)

Your Will Be Done

Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. – Matthew 6:10

We pious types like to throw around the notion that we pray according to God’s will, but do we really? Do we voluntarily sign up to be afflicted, to see loved ones taken from us, or to face hunger or hardship because of some greater (more…)

Living as His Ambassadors in the Face of Tragedy

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. – Romans 12:15

A middle schooler so defeated by bullying that he shoots himself to death in his school. A grandfather who kills his daughter and his six grandchildren, then calls 911 to tell the dispatcher what he has done and promises her police will find him dead as well.

This is (more…)