GraceNotes

Isaiah 30:21 “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” II Timothy 4:6-8 “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought…

“For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”. (Hebrews 4:12) Imagine this: you are a seeker.  You go to church…

With less than 1 week until Election Day, I thought I’d share some thoughts on voting. Everyone should vote because not everyone in the world gets that privilege, and as a citizen it’s your responsibility. As a Christian, it is even more of a responsibility to vote. God created human government (Genesis 9), so it…

Beauty is good. Last weekend, I drove to Harper’s Ferry and reveled in the pockets of autumn color dotting the mountainside. My friend and I climbed the Maryland Heights trail to look down upon the town. As we rested, a hawk launched itself into the air and glided above the river. There was only one…

Football season is back, and as we enjoy the rivalry and effort of teams to reach the pinnacle of their sport, we also see similar competition among the managers of fantasy football teams, though perhaps with a bit less physical effort!  Most of the efforts of fantasy football managers to improve their chances of making the…

The kingdom of God is not what we would think—and that’s a good thing. Jumbo shrimp. Bittersweet. Exact estimate. Minor crisis. Humblebrag. Old news. Random order.  What do these words have in common? All are oxymorons, a literary term used to describe combined opposites. On the surface, we understand the ideas oxymorons communicate. However, each oxymoron…

Have you ever missed a deadline? I thought I did for this article.  As a recovering perfectionist, that thought gave me two invitations:  – one to embarrassment (“I did wrong”) and the other to shame (“I am wrong.”). Let’s explore two questions:   First, what do most people do when they have made a commitment and think they have blown it?  Second, how  does God’s…

Job 16:15-16 “I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust. My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death” Job 42:1-3 “Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden…

We redeem our life under the sun when we remember what’s above it. It’s barely summer, but already the sun is making itself known. I try to embrace the warmth, but the Minnesota in me wilts with each increasing degree. Underneath the oppressive heat, it’s easy to feel a sense of futility. Problems from past…

Have you looked at the calendar lately? We are almost at the end of June, which means we are pretty much halfway through 2024. It feels like the Superbowl was yesterday! I’m sure most of you are loving the sunshine and warmer weather, but it is at this time of year that I get excited…

“It’s no secret that our country is divided.” (That might qualify for the understatement of the year!) If we get ten people in a room, we’re likely to get at least eleven different opinions.  In that situation, how can we work with people who hold vastly different views from ours? One popular approach is to strongly,…

Giving thanks in life’s small challenges prepares us to give thanks in hard circumstances. Insects creep me out. (They’re called “creepy crawlies” for a reason!) So to say I was unhappy when I found some ants making their way into my apartment would be an understatement. All things considered, the ants are nothing to complain…