Micah 6:8

I am continuing my read through the Bible and today's reading was about Israel moving into to Egypt because of the famine. After his happy reunion, there is a very dark passage that is easy to miss; and it partially explains the plight of the Israelites in the book of Exodus. "Joseph said to the people, 'Since I've now purchased you are your farmland for Pharaoh, here's seed for you. Plant the seed in the land. When the crop comes in, you must give one-fifth to Pharaoh. You may keep four-fifths for yourselves, those in your households and your children.' The people said, 'you saved our lives. If you wish we will be Pharaoh's slaves. (Genesis 47:23-25)'" One of the most painful realities in the Bible is that these great heroes often make great mistakes that end up causing immense pain. Abraham pretends his wife is his sister to get favorable treatment; Noah gets drunk; Jacob favors Joseph; Joseph sells an entire nation into slavery to Pharao...

I believe that God has a plan for each of us. Not the 'I am puppet dangling from strings' kind of plan, but the kind where God has a vision and destination in mind for each of us. Afterall, we have work to do. The problem is that God rarely reveals all of that plan at one time. I liken it to walking in a dark room with a flashlight, we can only see to the end of the beam and we must take steps of faith before of the plan is revealed to us. If you are like me, this is incredibly frustrating! Why can't God just tell us everything?! I think that it is probably because we would definitely not go through with it if we were shown the end! Our response is usually to rush God along and take over the job of leading for ourselves. We can do it as well as Jesus, right? Unfortunately, the answer is no we can't. There are two stories that come to mind (I recently started over reading the Bible from Genesis, forward) where heroes of the Bible did this very thing. Sarai frustrated t...

Some people see Jesus hanging out with the wrong crowd (sinners and tax collectors) and the Pharisees say, "Why is he hanging out with THOSE people (Matthew 9:9-13)?" Jesus response? Go read your Bible. In Hosea, the prophet says from God, "I desire mercy not sacrifice." That may not seem like a big deal, however, when sacrifice is how your sins are forgiven, God is telling the people that the Creator cares more about compassion and forgiveness than doing that which allowed God to forgive their sins. Jesus is reminding the Pharisees that it is more important that we love people than anything else, and all are worthy of our time, our love, our hope for redemption. Whoever you think that God has moved to the margins and excluded from God's grace, they are not. There is a place for that person, just like there is a place for you in God's kingdom. God does want us to change, to sin no more, but don't ever imagine there is a person who is past saving. ...

This morning, while I was getting ready, Amelia and Sophie were trying on Michelle's shoes. It has always amused me that our little girls always want to wear their mom's shoes or dresses or jewelry. Then, one of the scriptures from this Sunday popped into my brain: "Israel, Listen! Our God is the LORD! Only the LORD. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength. These words that I am commanding you today must always be on your minds. Recite them to your children (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)." And this one: "Train your children in the way they should go; when they grow old they won't depart from it (Proverbs 22:6)." Just like little girls like to try on their mom's shoes, they want to be just like their parents (at least early on). Our little ones are watching us! Even if you are not a parent, the young ones in your church are watching you. The scriptures tell us that it is our job to teach them about the faith! It...

There is an extremely popular Bible verse, Jeremiah 29:11 that says, "I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the LORD; they are plans for peace, not disaster and to give you a future filled with hope." This might be a little controversial but Take a moment and read the entire scripture from Jeremiah 29:1-14 . Hit the link, don't worry I will be here waiting when you get back. A little context for Jeremiah: the people of God have worshipped other Gods and now they had been taken to exile by Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar. A prophet named Hananiah had told them this was a temporary situation, but it wasn't and Hananiah had died because he was a false prophet. Now Jeremiah is letting the people know they need to settle in: build homes, have children - let your children have children. Basically, you will be here a while. He even tells them, "Don't pay attention to your dreams"?!? This is the scripture we put on keepsakes to give to colleg...