Footwork. By Steve and Sheri Larson. “It’s all in the footwork! You won’t be successful without good footwork! says every coach. This isn’t exactly headline news to the dancer, the quarterback, the goalie and the power forward. That’s logical, isn’t it? Without the proper use of our feet, we wouldn’t be able to balance ourselves …

The Fruit of the Spirit in the Garden of the Heart. “You must think of yourself as of one setting out to make a garden in which the Lord is to take his delight.”  (Teresa of Avila). The Fruit is Love. In Paul’s phrase “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23, the word for fruit …

Peace in the Hebrew Bible. Shalom = The ancient Hebrew word translated as peace and means much more than absence of war: completeness or wholeness, as in the joining together of opposites; integrity, as in the effective holding together of separate pieces; to give/restore harmony; fulfillment; health; security; abundant well-being; tranquility; freedom from disquiet and …

Flourish in Peace. If the peace of God is beyond human understanding (Phil. 4:7), how do we define it? We can start by referring to the Old Testament Hebrew word shalom, and the New Testament Greek word eirene, which both mean pretty much the same thing. When we study those biblical terms, it’s clear that …

Joyful Thoughts from Jesus. 1. “If you keep my commands, you will live in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands, for I continually live nourished and empowered by his love. My purpose for telling you these things is so that the joy that I experience will fill your hearts with overflowing …

Jesus and Joy. “From frowning saints, good Lord, deliver us! (Theresa of Avila). “If you keep my commands, you will live in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands, for I continually live nourished and empowered by his love. My purpose for telling you these things is so that the joy that …

Rolled Away – Joshua 5 Sometimes an old children’s Sunday School chorus says it best. Here’s one from back in the day: “Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away. Every burden in my heart rolled away.” (2x). Please keep this thought in mind as I move onward here. Every burden in your heart. Every weight that …

Jesus the Healer. “News about Jesus spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed – he healed them all.”  (Matthew 4:24). We know that Jesus healed people, all the time, but …

The Healing of the Woman With a Distressing Condition. Please read Mark 5:25-34. Parallel Passages. This healing story is told in three gospels: Matt. 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-48. Mark’s version has the most information and background, so it’s most helpful to start with Mark 5. Suffering Woman. There was a woman who had been …

The Healing of the Ear in Gethsemane. Please Read Luke 22:47-53. Parallel Passages. Each of the four Gospels has a version of the arrest of Jesus… Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; and John 18:1-11. Only Luke recorded Jesus healing the high priest’s servant’s ear. This was the last recorded physical healing that Jesus accomplished …