Seeking Pearls

All too often we fall into a trap of thinking that our Christian faith is private, something we keep to ourselves. That is far from the biblical reality. In Ephesians 4, Paul pleads with the believers in Ephesus to be united in the Body of Christ - to share their gifts with one another so that together they can be built into a strong, mature body of believers. Following Jesus was never meant to be...

Ephesians 3 is a magnificent chapter of the Bible, full of mystery and love, drawing us straight into the heart of God. Join me as we discover the mystery of God and dive deep into the ocean of the love of Christ.

In the second chapter of Ephesians, Paul explains the magnificent way in which God saved us through grace and raised us on high in Christ. Because of the great way in which we were saved, there is no room for hostility or barriers. God has done the unthinkable in bringing together Jews and Gentiles into ONE family, and he has torn down the wall of separation. Let us tear down the walls in our own...

Join us in a new series going verse by verse through Paul's letter to the Ephesians! In this magnificent opening chapter, we will learn that through Christ, God has chosen us, lavished us with his loved, and sealed us for the inheritance to come. It absolutely cannot get more beautiful than this chapter!

In the seventh and final episode on our Face to Face series with Moses, we see him seeking more and more of God's glory. The more he gets to know God, the more he wants to know God. The more he sees God, the more he wants to see of God. Oh! That I would be like Moses!

In the sixth episode of Face to Face, we see Moses really dig into his new role as intercessor for the people of Israel. Though he was a stranger to them all just months ago, he is now the one who prays for them and intercedes on their behalf. When they mess up, he goes up the mountain to meet with a holy God for them. When they are hungry, he asks the Giver of all things for food. When they are t...

In today's episode, we continue to journey with Moses through some extreme obedience training. As he travels the desert with the Israelites, Moses is put to the task of doing everything God asks him to do, and nothing else. Throw the stick, hit the rock, climb the mountain, go down, go back up...everything God says, Moses does. It is obedience training like none other; but as we will see, it also...

Moses continues to obey God with surprising obedience, even as God asks him to do things beyond what we could imagine. God is the only true God, above all little gods we might worship, and the more we give him time, space, attention, and obedience, the more we will see his wonders. As God leads the people to the Sea of Reeds, WHO IS WITH THEM???

Moses started out reluctantly at the burning bush, but over the course of time we see him growing in his relationship with God. By the time we are into the plagues, Moses does everything God says without the least bit of arguing or complaining. What we see is Moses giving God time, space, attention and obedience. These steady habits and routines eventually lead to the beautiful fruit of knowing Go...

In this episode we will meet with Moses and God at the burning bush. Who was in the bush? Why did Moses argue so much? What in the world possibly convinced Moses that he should reach out and grab that snake??!! To whom does God want to send me???

In this new series we will look at Moses, and specifically, we will look into his unique and profound relationship with God. At the beginning, does he even know God? In the end, they talk face to face... How does that happen? What does that mean? Can we do that too?? Join me for a journey through the desert!

In Philippians chapter 4, Paul teaches us a great deal about what it means to press on in the gospel with the community he has given to us. Let us press on together, let us press on by putting our differences aside, let us press on in prayer, and with thanksgiving, and with contentment in what He has given to us. What a Word!

Philippians 3 is one of the most breathtaking chapters of Scripture in the whole Bible. In it, we see Paul's heart to know Jesus more. Here we have this man who has suffered more for the cause of the Gospel than anyone else, and we see that in his deepest heart all he wants is to know Jesus even more. He presses on for that one cause, to be like Jesus and to know Jesus. Let that be our heart-cry a...

In this fourth episode of our Philippians series, we see Paul putting into practice the exact things he told the Philippians to exhibit earlier in chapter two...humility, considering others above yourselves, being like-minded to Jesus. Paul and his team clearly strive to live out these exact qualities, and he asks us to do the same. Good news - It's the Spirit of God that enables us to do so!

Jesus, God the Son, is humility incarnate. He is the Supreme One, and yet he humbled himself to the most humiliating death imaginable. He is the Exalted One, and yet he took the lowest form of a slave, a servant, a criminal. Let us be like Jesus, who laid down his life for others. Let us love like Jesus, serve like Jesus, think like Jesus.

In the second half of Philippians chapter One we see a Paul who is absolutely certain about Jesus, but is uncertain about whether he is to remain in the world to do ministry or if he is soon to be going to be with Jesus. Either way, Paul knows that his life is entirely wrapped up in Christ, and in that he chooses to rejoice.

Paul's letter to the Philippians always takes my breath away. It leaves me speechless, and then makes me want to talk about it with everyone I know. It brings me nearly to tears and makes me want to shout with joy. It teaches me to press on in the midst of whatever hardships surround me. It makes me ache to know Jesus more. Please join me in this study through Paul's beautiful letter to the Philip...

Unfortunately, we tend to get mad at God when He does pretty much anything we disagree with. Even if it means he is saving people. We get mad at God when his agenda of saving the world messes up with our agenda of suiting ourselves. It was true for Jonah, and it's true for me. Thankfully, we have a God who uses us anyway. Praise be to God!

We like to decide who does and does not deserve God's mercy...don't we? Jonah did too. Thankfully God's mercies never run out and he will wait for us to get our act together. He doesn't change his mind, he doesn't shift like a shadow, he just stays the course and waits for us to get back on track with what he is doing in the world. Sometimes we are Jonah, sometimes we are stuck in a fish, and some...

You've probably not been in the belly of a great fish, and chances are you haven't nearly drowned in the ocean. Yet, you know the experience of drowning. We all do. Drowning in sorrow, grief, loneliness, depression, illness, confusion, abandonment...in some way, we have all be there. How do you cry out to God in the midst of suffering? Jonah teaches us to turn our face to Him, because He is in fac...

Have you found yourself trying to flee from God anytime recently? Maybe trying to avoid the exact people that God has called you to love and serve? (People He loves...) Have you found yourself in the belly of a big fish, face to face with the very God you were trying to get away from? Well, so has Jonah. Jonah is just like us, and he points us to Jesus. Jesus is the One who did not try to run away...

In this episode of the recurring Do You See this Woman series, Jesus brings us face to face with our own prejudices. He goes out of his way to pour his mercy upon a dear woman and her daughter who perhaps others think should not get any of the "crumbs" of his healing. Even her, Jesus? Are you sure she deserves your mercy? (As if a person could 'deserve' mercy.) Then he seems to go out of his way t...

Oh how I love this woman and her story. She is courageous and strong. She is humble and lovely. On the day when she we certain she would see her death, she instead saw the kind and loving eyes of her Savior, full of compassion and mercy and forgiveness. She is me. She is you.

In our third recurrence of the "Do You See this Woman?" podcast series, we will look at three women whose names are hidden from us in the pages of Scripture. Though we don't know their names, the Savior does. He meets them right where they are at, in the midst of the muck and mire of real life, and pours his love and mercy upon them.  

One of the greatest parenting lessons God has ever taught me is that He is better at it than me! He is wiser, kinder, more patient, gentler, more loving, smarter...everything good...He is more and better than I am. What a relief! And, He lives in my kids. The great Teacher, Counselor, Comforter, Advocate and Helper...the Paraclete Himself...The Holy Spirit lives inside of my kids. What does it mea...