Matthew TwoSix:ThreeNine

I struggle with praying for myself.  I have no problem setting aside time to read the Bible.  No problem setting aside quiet time to pray for the needs of others.  I pray for our prayer list at church, for my family, friends, family of friends, those I have the opportunity to serve, and those who simply ask for me to pray for rhem. Let me share a little secret, for many years I have had a career working in athletics.  This means I hear the national anthem more often than the normal person. I don't sing the national anthem.  Not because I am not patriotic, but because it gives me a chance for a brief moment of quiet in the storm.  I spend that time with my Father in heaven.  I pray for the health and safety of the participants.  I pray for the coaches that they may lead in a way that Jesus would be proud. I pray for the officials and their discernment. I pray often and for many others.  When it comes to me, I just seem to glance ov...

This morning I found myself searching for songs to add to my playlist. I have decided I want a list of songs to play while I run. As I've shared before, I don't particularly enjoy running, but we have committed to this 5K at the end of October. Running becomes tolerable when I can blast worship music and simply be with God. I was in search of particular version of a hymn from the 1800's titled "Jesus Paid it All." The Passion conference worship team did a rendition of it 5-6 years ago and I quite enjoy it. Anyway, in the search for the song, I got to reading about the lyrics.  I have always been drawn to the refrain because of it is a reminder of Jesus' incredible gift to us.  It goes: "Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." The images portrayed by the comparison between a crimson stain and white snow are vivid. Dark red stains are the type of stains that just don't come out. Th...

Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathaniel and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathaniel asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. - John 1:44‭-‬46 NIV I have been to places that I just think look desolate and hopeless. Not necessarily a city, but parts of cities and neighborhoods. The buildings are in disrepair, addiction and crime have taken over, and the life just seems to be sucked out of the space. I'm not sure if that is what Nazareth was like, but that's the picture I get in my head when I read Nathaniel's response.   I think we all have times in our lives that we resemble my mental picture of Nazareth. We are in such a dark place, we can't imagine anything good coming from us in this place. Maybe it's addiction, or shame, or an infidelity, or deceit, ...