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?
Things in this world seem unstable, crazy, and spinning out of control.
I don’t know where you live in this world, but I bet at times this year, you have felt the same way.
When I look around and everything seems in freefall, I take a deep breath and remember that:
- I didn’t make the universe.
- I can’t fix this mess.
- I don’t understand how things got so messy.
- I don’t know that path back to order and sanity.
But, there is Someone who does
In 2018, my husband and I—on our own—took a trip to Israel.
I had always wanted to see the places of the Bible—Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Masada, Nazareth—and we did. We saw so many of those cities.
But what impressed me most was Galilee.
Going to Jerusalem is like visiting New York –busy, wall-to-wall people, tons of buses. Did I enjoy it? Yes—but it was a fast blur of heat, people, and historic sites.
Galilee, on the other hand, is soothing. It is slow-paced. It invites you to sit by the sea, take in Peter’s home, and see where Jesus preached his first message.
Drink—relax—reflect.
That is Galilee.
e lit the Christ candle tonight to show that Christ is with us now. He is born. He is the Light of the world Who has come to forgive us of all our sins and bring us eternal life!
Tonight, at church, I heard a statement that resonated with me. The pastor said, “Christmas has always been in God’s heart—but for Christmas to be the true gift it was meant to be—it must be received fully by each of us.”
Have you received the full gift of Christmas?
This Sunday, the Sunday before Christmas Eve, we lit the fourth candle. This is the candle of love. In this season, what could be more important than love?
One thing that the Bible makes clear is that even more than wearing crosses, the mark of a Christian is how well he or she loves—like Jesus.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35 (ESV)
Is there someone in your life for whom you lack love? Someone, you need to reach out to this holy season?
Today, we light the third candle on the Advent wreath – the candle of Joy!
In some churches, the third candle is the “Shepherds’ Candle”—but in others, it is the candle that symbolizes Joy! The focus on the joy the shepherds felt in discovering the Christ child might have occasioned this candle representing joy.
We think of the joy the arrival of the Savior brought to those who had been awaiting His coming, the joy He brought through his resurrection and opening the doors to eternal life, and the joy we now experience through the gift He gives us—the Holy Spirit—the Comforter, our Counselor who resides within each believer.
Some churches use a pink candle on this day. Catholic church historians believe…
