Even in January, the sun rises. It might seem slow in coming, it may be hidden behind a canopy of gray clouds, but the sun is definitely there. Every morning. Without fail. We don’t rush to our bedroom windows in fear. What if it doesn’t rise? What if we live in darkness? We know better. We trust, we believe, we have faith, because every morning of our lives, the sun has risen. And every moment of our lives, God is with us. Even if we don’t see Him, we can experience His light, His warmth, His presence. Hosea 6:3 builds on that assurance, encouraging us to draw closer to the One who said, “L ..read more

Love. In the end, it’s all that matters. God’s love for us. Our love for others. Two thousand years ago, in the fulness of time, His love became flesh, came to earth, came to us. As you read these familiar verses, I pray you’ll experience the story of His love as if it were newly written, full of miracles and wonders, just for you. Lord Jesus, may every morning be Christmas morning in our hearts! And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all ..read more

Remember last March, when we thought our lives would be back to normal by May? June at the latest. Okay, July. Could be August. September? Nope. Now it’s October. The bright blue skies and colorful leaves are as beautiful as ever, but nothing is quite the same this season. Where we go, what we do, who we see, how we connect, and when we travel — even across town — is different now. Even so, God is the same yesterday and today and forever. His mercies remain new every morning. And He continues to recreate us in the image of His Son. Here’s one verse to help us stay the course this season: Put ..read more

­You already know this, but I’ll state it for the record: I’m all about women. (This group of travelers shouting “Ta-da!” by the Sea of Galilee? Adorable.) My role models are women, my ministry is for women, and I’ve been teaching, speaking, and writing about our sisters in Scripture for three decades. Why? Because God loves women, calls and equips women, and honors women in His Word. Elizabeth heralded the Messiah (Luke 1:42), Mary gave birth to the Messiah (Luke 2:7), and Anna spoke about the Messiah to all who were looking for the redemption of Israel (Luke 2:38). When the time o ..read more

Right now, in the midst of the confusion, I’m thinking we need all the words in this verse, especially mercy and new and hope. Yes, yes, yes. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  1 Peter 1:3  This encouraging letter from Peter starts where we need to start — where we must start — with praising God, exclamation point. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! 1 Peter 1:3 We know and love God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, but ..read more

When I picked “new” as my word for 2020, I didn’t have in mind a scary new virus. Oh my. As we struggle to keep up with the latest reports from around the world, a soul-calming reminder for us all: God remains unchanged (Hebrews 13:8) and His Word endures forever (Isaiah 40:8). Even so, as He gathered with His disciples on the night He was betrayed, Jesus did introduce something new, planned before the beginning of time. Let’s take a look. In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Luke 22:20  In the sam ..read more

Gotta love a Leap Year. February’s Facebook LIVE was all about love (naturally), so I thought we’d close this month with one more look at what Christ is asking of His beloved Bride. And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 2 John 1:5 Ooh! Did John the Elder write this brief epistle to a woman? Let’s find out. And now, dear lady,… 2 John 1:5 Does this “dearest woman” (TPT) have a name? The book of 2 John begins, “To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth” (2 John 1:1), so it see ..read more

When I chose the word new as my theme for 2020, I quickly found out God is all about new. His people made offerings of new grain (Numbers 28:26). They carried the ark of the Covenant using a new cart (2 Samuel 6:3). And the prophet Elisha requested a new bowl filled with salt to purify Jericho’s water (2 Kings 2:20). All three verses include the same word in Hebrew, chadash, meaning (you guessed it) new. We get the spiritual significance of using something new. It’s clean, pure, undefiled. Holy and set apart. But what about when God does something chadash, something altogether new in our liv ..read more

I love everything about December. The dark mornings. the moody grayness of the sky, the silence of falling snow. Against that somber backdrop, candlelight shines brighter, music rings merrier, and our hearts open wider in expectation. The Messiah is coming. The Messiah is here. The Messiah will come again. Our verse this month is a multifaceted wonder: LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 LORD, you are my God;… Isaiah 25:1 A statement of fact. A statement of faith. “You, L ..read more

Meet Prisca. She just turned eight on November 14. Though she lives in faraway Malawi, she is close to my heart. Though she is not my grandchild, she is my God child. The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew the Lord chose her for me (and me for her). I mean, look at that smile. She also likes the color red and loves to pray. Me too. And the Bible study I’m currently writing? It includes the story of Priscilla, whose proper name is — you got it — Prisca. So, obviously, I had to say yes. More in a moment about my new God daughter and the other beautiful children shown here, including this shampo ..read more