Category Archives: 30 Days of Prayer & Purpose

Read Luke 15:1-11. Why is it that when we speak of “the lost” we automatically assume we are talking about those outside the church? In our minds, THE LOST conjures images of unbelievers who do not know Jesus, do not care about Jesus, and want nothing to do with Jesus.  We draw a line andContinue reading “Day 20 (Lost II)”

Read Luke 15:11-32. The Bible is replete with examples of people who should have known better—who did know better—but committed heinous sin and yet were forgiven. Take David’s murder of Uriah.  He wanted to the cover the tracks of his adultery with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, so David has the poor guy knocked off.  Despicable!  TodayContinue reading “Day 19 (The Way of the Kingdom)”

Wouldn’t it be nice if living the Christian life was as simple as following a road map?  All you’d have to do is follow the directions.  You’d know what turns to make and when to make them.  You’d see exactly where you’ll end up at the final destination.  But life is nothing like this.  It’sContinue reading “Day 18 (God’s will for your life)”

Read Galatians 6:1-10 We fulfill the Law of Christ by bearing one another’s burdens. That’s what Paul tells us in our reading today.  It’s a fairly cut and dry statement.  So what does Paul mean?   Well, first let’s state the obvious: life is filled with all kinds of burdens:  Grief, sickness, mental illness, personality disorders, sociallyContinue reading “Day 17 (Burdens)”

It was my last year in college and I was blessed to be able to study abroad for two months in Germany at the University of Bonn.  One weekend, several of us Aggies decided to take a road trip to Paris. I suggested that we also visit Omaha Beach, which wasn’t that much further.  IContinue reading “Day 16 (Grace)”

There are those days when even an old ciabatta bun seems like so much more than just an old ciabatta bun.  A few mornings ago, my family was busy scurrying around the house; everyone was trying to get ready for school and work all at the same time. Pam was busy trying to snuggle ourContinue reading “Day 15 (Old Bun)”

Read Colossians 1:3-14. In Colossians 3, Paul is not really talking about prayer, he is actually praying.  And his prayer is perhaps unusual to us.  His prayer consists of words of absolute certainty.  How often do we pray like that?   How often are our prayers nothing but uncertainty?  Uncertainty, born out uncertain circumstances?  But notContinue reading “Day 14 (Pray)”

If you read Psalm 131, you’ll notice it’s rather short—really short.  In fact, it’s the shortest. It has only has three verses.  But as one great preacher put it, this Psalm is “one of the shortest to read, but one of the longest to learn.” The Psalm begins with these words, “My heart is notContinue reading “Day 13 (Limited)”

Read 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 Faith knows and trusts in Jesus, and Jesus knows the terror of this world. He has seen it at its worst. He has seen the depth of sin, terror, and all the uncertainties of this world in ways that you and I cannot even imagine. He has experienced and defeated it.Continue reading “Day 12 (Sting)”

Read Amos 7:7-15. The book of Amos begins with a powerful line.  Amos 1:2 says, “The Lord roars from Zion, His voice goes out from Jerusalem [to all the world].”  Amos describes the Lord like a powerful lion.  Lion? We prefer lions behind bars, at a safe distance in the zoo.  No one wants toContinue reading “Day 11 (Restore)”