To Hear His Voice
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.” (John 10:27 NIV) If you are in BSF, you’ll probably recognize that verse from the lesson we took home over the Christmas break. It just completely stuck out to me. What exactly does it mean to hear His voice? I’ve been thinking of writing about this for some time, but it seems so “out there” and crazy to me that I stop myself. Which is funny, because hearing his voice is what it means to follow Jesus. With that in mind, I want to ask a simple question: Have you “heard” His voice? If we follow Christ, we have already done the...
Read MoreIt’s That Time of Year Again!
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) It’s the holiday season! Of course, all the holiday news articles and quips are out in full force. The other day I saw one that was about what brought people the most anxiety over the holidays. The answer was surprising and a bit sad to me: the thing that brings the most people anxiety this time of the year is having to spend time with family. Since I moved around a lot growing up, I spent most of my holidays with just my immediate family. No big family gatherings, no going...
Read MoreGreater and Less
“He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” (John 3:30 TLB) John the Baptist’s words have stuck with me for over a week now. For a quick refresher course, he spoke those words after his own disciples were growing a bit envious that Jesus’s ministry and baptism were starting to outshine John’s. John’s response? To joyfully proclaim that he’s fulfilling the great job God has given, and that he must step aside and become less as Jesus becomes more. I’m not so sure I have successfully followed that example, and perhaps that’s why it’s stuck with me ever since it came...
Read MoreDreams, Visions and Plans, Oh My!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV) What happened to summer? How can it be September already?! What happened to all my summer plans of hiking, biking, possibly travelling, just lying out in the sun, summer bbq’s, movies and summer fun?! Whoever came up with the phrase “lazy days of summer” was very lucky indeed. I can’t tell if it’s gone by so quickly because I was having fun or if I was just too busy. When fall rolls around, I know I only have four more months...
Read MoreIssues with Authority?
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.” (1 Peter 2:13-15 NIV) I’ve come to realize that the older I become, the more opportunities I have to choose to submit myself to someone. These verses have been heavily on my mind with the upcoming elections. First, I’m not here to talk politics. (I never took American government...
Read MoreWhen in Doubt…
“Then Gideon said to God, ‘Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.’ That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.” (Judges 6:39-40 NIV) I doubt and question. A lot. I admit it. I am a doubter. Sometimes I feel like the church implies that doubting is a shameful thing. I actually don’t know the theology of this or related scriptures, but that’s pretty much how I’ve always felt growing up in the church. Who wants to be...
Read MoreWhat’s in a Name?
Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” (Exodus 3:13-14a NIV) How many names of God can you list off the top of your head? When I pray, I tend to call on my “Heavenly Father” and “Lord God” and end, of course, in Jesus’s name. I’ve been going through a devotion that prays through 30 names of God in Hebrew. It always floors me how deep the names of God can be in other languages, especially that spoken by a Chosen...
Read MoreA Heart for Something
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” (Proverbs 31:8 NIV) I’ve been debating whether or not to write about the category 5 cyclone that hit Fiji on February 20th. It didn’t affect us here and was barely in the news at all. For perspective, in terms of strength, tropical cyclone Winston, the one that just hit Fiji, tied for second behind typhoon Haiyan, which tore through the Philippines in 2013 as one of the strongest storms ever recorded. Realizing that I was so frustrated with the Western world’s news coverage, I guess I felt God tell...
Read MoreNew Every Morning
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him’. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.” (Lamentations 3:22-25) In my sporadic devos throughout the last month, I’ve been challenged (once again) in how I view faithfulness and hope and longing and waiting. I suppose it comes part and parcel with the season of Christmas. Christmas is all about joy and the...
Read MoreBaggage
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:19-20) I think many times, I read James 1:19-20, and apply it to one moment. After all, it’s the way I learned it as a kid, where you’re supposed to breathe deeply before responding to the kid who knocked you over or cut in line. It’s supposed to prevent a fight or escalating a conflict. It’s an “easy” verse in that it’s one of the...
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