By Darin Travis

Believers are not exempt from trials. They will come. They will show up at unexpected times. But if we've been listening to the words of Jesus, and doing what Jesus requires of us, guess what? When the storms blow, we will be able to stand because we built our lives upon the rock of Christ.By Ron Hicks

Jonah knew the truth, “You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” He just had to get on the right side of that truth. He had to move from anger and envy to worship and gratitude. How do you get out of yourself? Get into the LORD I AM. Sounds so simple. But it’s really hard!…

The moment we turn to him, he turns to us. We don’t need to be ignorant of this. He is the God of second chances. The Lord is gracious, slow to anger, full of steadfast love and mercy. Here’s news beyond hope for those blindly groping for God. Not only is he real, but he is also your heavenly Father who loves you and wants to restore you, forgive y…

Jesus would bring a salvation beyond Jonah’s imagining. Jonah got rescued by a fish. The Son of God came and went three days and nights not only into the belly of a beast but into death and hell itself. Three days and nights he left this world. Then returned victorious to save the whole cosmos. Jonah spoke beyond his life to the truth of this story…

Once we were nothing. But now we are his possession. We have received his mercy. Our task is to declare this good news. To be living stones. 1 Peter 2: 4-10 Identity Shaping Churches Josh Maddin

Please pray through this setting of Psalm 45. My heart does overflow, a goodly theme is mine; My eager tongue with joyful song does praise the King divine. Supremely fair you are, your lips with grace overflow, His richest blessings evermore does God on you bestow. Amid your glorious train kings’ daughters waiting stand, And fairest gems bedeck you…

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.…

Please enjoy this poem by Christina Rossetti. None other Lamb, none other name, None other hope in heaven or earth or sea, None other hiding place from guilt or shame, None besides thee! My faith burns low, my hope burns low; Only my heart’s desire cries out in me By the deep thunder of its want and woe, Cries out to thee. Lord, thou art Life, thou…

O that birth forever blessed, when the Virgin, full of grace, By the Holy Ghost conceiving, bore the Savior of our race, And the babe, the world’s Redeemer, first revealed his sacred face.By Rev. Dr. Gerrit Dawson

For many of us, we simply try to wall off part of our minds and souls from God. We don’t speak honestly to our God. We keep very busy and avoid down time. We can even show up at worship and still keep a part of us tucked away. Our prayers are always buffered. We try to hold up “good” parts of ourselves and keep secrets from our Lord. Like that work…

We all take the role of Lazarus. Not worth the King’s attention except that his name is Love. Not presentable in our rags with our sores oozing and showing, except that he has clothes of grace and healing ointments of mercy awaiting. We cannot charm him, cajole him, demand from him or connive his favors. We only trust that his words are true and me…

It’s not just about me personally. It’s about the call to be a soil cultivator. To carry the water of love and mercy that softens hard, stony hearts. To risk getting pricked as you help others untangle from the thorns. To help people dig up the rocks and sink deeper roots. Changing soils is about our each becoming more devoted disciples. Fruitfulne…

The invitations are still out. It is not too late. When the king enters the hall, how will he find us? The classic hymn “On Christ the Solid Rock,” contains the lines, “O may I then be found, dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.” Christ Jesus has a graceful robe of rightness and wholeness and peace to give us. H…

We celebrate today how a mother’s love is faithful, often hidden, persistent and ever hopeful. Good mothers reflect to all of us these qualities in our Lord. Our God seeking the lost coin of our humanity, got down on hands and knees to come find us. He laid aside his glory and took up the confines of flesh. He offered himself utterly, even to the l…

We turn to the Word first and always on ourselves. Then, and only, then, out of our brokenness, out of the mercy we have received, out of our gratitude to God, do we dare to speak to others as God leads. In this way, we live within this text, “Judge not, that you be not judged.”By Gerrit Dawson

Psalm 110 directs us to a mighty king who brings peace, a priest who offers bread and wine and blessing. He already exists and yet is coming. He will share rule with the I AM himself. Remind you of anyone? This swirls our minds. But we need to realize the depth of the person of Jesus. To know him rightly, we need to see how Jesus alone pulls all th…

Sin isn’t a spiritual parking ticket, or a little too much dessert after a nice meal. Sin is adultery. It is a betrayal of our love, and a profoundly hurtful act. It’s saying we can be engaged to two fiancés at once, that the bloodshed, the life given up on our behalf is a laughable, somewhat provincial gift, and we’re trading it for the latest tre…

These terrible pains, these days of falling into dark wells, get used by our gracious Father to create resurrection hope in us. They are not punishments. Our Father does not delight in them with some perverse pleasure in our suffering. But he has provided a way that they need not destroy us. In fact, our broken hearts can open a path to becoming co…

Jesus is the cornerstone on which our new lives can be built. Jesus is also the rock of truth against which we can wreck our lives. This is true if you’ve never been a Christian, someone joined to Christ. You can continue on your own, and never solve guilt, never solve loneliness, never solve death. Or, you can cry out to Jesus, “Lord, save! Hosann…