The Lord is My Portion

Psalm 73 offers a remarkable glimpse into the authentic heart of a man named Asaph whose role as a worship leader in King David’s court was serious and influential. His struggle? That the so-called wicked seemed to get away with being wicked, while he muddled through trying to be a righteous man, experiencing hardship and READ MORE

Singing the New Song

All of us, if we are honest, have had painful moments or seasons in our lives. We have been terribly bruised by relationships that went sideways on us. We have had important dreams crumble before our very eyes. We have had work experiences that have left us deeply wounded. We have had some things of READ MORE

“With You I Am Well Pleased”

When was the last time you really, truly felt loved and appreciated? Like you were special? That someone, anyone, really delighted in . . . well . . . you? The ancient Israelites wrestled with these questions. They felt forgotten. Abandoned. Lost and desperate. Isaiah 63:19 gives a hint of this, at which place their READ MORE

Meals at Home

Transformative time around a meal plays a prominent role throughout the Bible. Surely this was in mind when the Lord God told the people of Israel, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today READ MORE

I Lift Up My Eyes to the Hills

Psalm 121 is one of my very favorite psalms. I have read it at the graveside of a teenage friend killed in a car accident. I have read it at the bedsides of innumerable hospital patients. I have repeated it to myself when anticipating a tough conversation or a difficult sermon or entrance into a READ MORE

What My Eyes Long For: A Reprise

For the past few months I have deeply embedded myself within the pages of Psalm 119. I love what I’m reading. For too many years I have zipped through it, typically striving to get the Bible read in a year, thereby really flying over some pieces so quickly that I never truly survey what is READ MORE