Each year, I listen to a daily audio Bible podcast—and complete the Bible in one year. This year marks my sixth year through the Bible.
Why don’t I stop?
Every year, I learn new aspects of the Bible because each year, I am in a different place in my life, and the Holy Spirit speaks to me where I am.
The Bible is always fresh! It is always alive!
It is the only book that has a Living Spirit within it.
Each year, when I get to Judges in the Old Testament, I say, “Oh boy!” because I know what is ahead.
Passover begins this evening.
It is one of the most significant Jewish Holidays, commemorating when the angels of God “passed over” the Hebrews as the firstborn children and animals of the Egyptians were killed—all because Pharoah would not set the Hebrews free as God commanded.
With this final plague on Egypt, Pharoah agreed to free the Hebrews so they might begin their journey to the promised land.
God instructed the Jews to commemorate the first Passover, when they had marked their houses with blood, alerting the angels to “pass over” their homes.
Christians draw parallels in their faith,
This week, I was listening to a minister on the radio who noted that in the days after His resurrection, Jesus did not appear to Pilate to tell him that he had been wrong in ordering His crucifixion.
Jesus did not appear to the Jewish leaders and chastise them for not believing and demanding His death.
He did not appear to the Roman soldiers who nailed Him on the cross.
Why?
Today, I was drinking in the beautiful hymns of Psalm Sunday. They are majestic, powerful, and inspirational!
Among my very favorites is All Glory, Laud and Honor. When I close my eyes and listen to the lyrics, I can feel all the emotions I imagine those present at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The hope. The joy. The expectation.
As Christians, we carry the hope, joy, and expectation at our Lord’s second coming. Feel this excitement. Play this song and sing along. It is a wonderful way to enter into the spirit of Holy Week.
What are some of your favorite Holy Week Hymns/ song?
I grew up at a time when fathers were revered. The fathers in the television shows I watched were strong men who took care of their families. They were wise, compassionate, firm, and always took time for their kids. They teased their children and supported their wives. They were the dads we loved to watch!
But something happened between the time I was little and when my children were growing up.
Life takes turns we cannot anticipate.
In 2022, I published my first novel. In the months preceding the release date, I scheduled book signings and speaking events two weeks before the release and several weeks after.
Two weeks before the release of my book, a member of my family became quite ill and needed my attention for several weeks. I canceled all events—and had no regrets. My family is my priority only behind my service to God.
In 2023, my second novel was scheduled for release. Again,
I recently read a blog by Annie Holmquist entitled “Easy as a Sunday Morning.”
She cites a study by Dr. Pat Fagan that revealed that children performed better in school if they came from intact families. And they performed even better when that intact family regularly attended church.
Pat Fagan, a clinical therapist, notes, “The impact of religious worship is massive and powerful right throughout education. And it is a neglected aspect of education research. It is a scandal in the social sciences that this data is not made known.”
Annie Holmquist dug into the research. It revealed that of the students who received mostly “A” s in school,
I was listening to an interesting discussion on a podcast this week. Amid the discussion, one of the guests stated that Christians often view nonbelievers as under the influence of the anti-Christ. The guest said that perhaps we, instead, should view non-believers as Pre-Christ. In other words, they are on their way to Christ—they just haven’t fully encountered or embraced Him yet.
I love this perspective! Truly, we don’t know who will be drawn in by Christ and will ultimately become a believer. We just don’t know. It is much healthier for us as Christians to view nonbelievers as pre-Christians who will eventually embrace Christ fully than to see them as under the control of the anti-Christ.
Why is this the better perspective?
