Can two, seemingly opposed, realities be true at the same time? In a world as complicated as ours, is it any wonder that we prefer the clarity of simple binaries? It’s day or it’s night. It’s black or it’s white. It’s water or it’s dry land.

While studying his bible, Martin Luther, could not square what he read about God’s unconditional love for us with the practices of the church at that time.  The church was overly focused on teachings that emphasized human works as the pathway to salvation and in particular those works that benefitted the institution of the church, its leaders, and its gilded cathedrals.

When David was appointed king, he inherited a nation in turmoil. This young man was expected to lead the Israelites out of civil war and into prosperity.

Today's devotional author is Debbie Jorgens, Prince of Peace's Director of Congregational Care and...

The story of Ruth and Naomi can remind us that the Lord seeks what seems lost, binds up what was broken, redeems and makes new the past and gives us a new time and place.

Yesterday, we encountered the familiar story of Ruth, one not only of a faithful daughter-in-law but a profound witness to God’s enduring promise of love. Ruth, a Moabite woman, faced with challenges and hardships, exemplifies a steadfast commitment to love and loyalty, mirroring God’s unwavering devotion to us.

“Thou shalt not…” this is how the King James Version of the Bible translates the beginning words for seven of the ten commandments.  This stylized language has an enduring quality, and I suspect when asked to recite a commandment or more, many would begin with these same words.  I’m also fairly certain that the tablets Charleton Heston carried down his soundstage mountain were first inscribed in the KJV.

Knowing I was to write devotions on the Ten Commandments, I had been thinking about them a lot. The Israelites were living under oppression in Egypt when the God of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob heard their cry and rescued them through Moses. They had left Egypt and slavery. But what did it mean now to journey with, to live in, this large community moving through the wilderness? 

Over the years, my parents have acquired more than a few sets of China.  In addition to their own sets, acquired as wedding gifts and from their times living overseas, they also inherited several sets from their parents and other family members.  Looking to downsize their collection a few years ago, they offered Anne & me one of my grandmother’s sets, just as we moved into our new home in 2019.  We accepted it but with one important condition.

“The world is exhausting me under a constant barrage of news, conflict, and injustice.  I look to my church to feel the love of God fulfilling and refueling me to take on the week.”  

This was what one of our BIG Idea Team members shared earlier this summer.

Can two, seemingly opposed, realities be true at the same time? In a world as complicated as ours, is it any wonder that we prefer the clarity of simple binaries? It’s day or it’s night. It’s black or it’s white. It’s water or it’s dry land.

While studying his bible, Martin Luther, could not square what he read about God’s unconditional love for us with the practices of the church at that time.  The church was overly focused on teachings that emphasized human works as the pathway to salvation and in particular those works that benefitted the institution of the church, its leaders, and its gilded cathedrals.

When David was appointed king, he inherited a nation in turmoil. This young man was expected to lead the Israelites out of civil war and into prosperity.

Today's devotional author is Debbie Jorgens, Prince of Peace's Director of Congregational Care and...

The story of Ruth and Naomi can remind us that the Lord seeks what seems lost, binds up what was broken, redeems and makes new the past and gives us a new time and place.

Yesterday, we encountered the familiar story of Ruth, one not only of a faithful daughter-in-law but a profound witness to God’s enduring promise of love. Ruth, a Moabite woman, faced with challenges and hardships, exemplifies a steadfast commitment to love and loyalty, mirroring God’s unwavering devotion to us.

“Thou shalt not…” this is how the King James Version of the Bible translates the beginning words for seven of the ten commandments.  This stylized language has an enduring quality, and I suspect when asked to recite a commandment or more, many would begin with these same words.  I’m also fairly certain that the tablets Charleton Heston carried down his soundstage mountain were first inscribed in the KJV.

Knowing I was to write devotions on the Ten Commandments, I had been thinking about them a lot. The Israelites were living under oppression in Egypt when the God of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob heard their cry and rescued them through Moses. They had left Egypt and slavery. But what did it mean now to journey with, to live in, this large community moving through the wilderness? 

Over the years, my parents have acquired more than a few sets of China.  In addition to their own sets, acquired as wedding gifts and from their times living overseas, they also inherited several sets from their parents and other family members.  Looking to downsize their collection a few years ago, they offered Anne & me one of my grandmother’s sets, just as we moved into our new home in 2019.  We accepted it but with one important condition.

“The world is exhausting me under a constant barrage of news, conflict, and injustice.  I look to my church to feel the love of God fulfilling and refueling me to take on the week.”  

This was what one of our BIG Idea Team members shared earlier this summer.

Can two, seemingly opposed, realities be true at the same time? In a world as complicated as ours, is it any wonder that we prefer the clarity of simple binaries? It’s day or it’s night. It’s black or it’s white. It’s water or it’s dry land.

While studying his bible, Martin Luther, could not square what he read about God’s unconditional love for us with the practices of the church at that time.  The church was overly focused on teachings that emphasized human works as the pathway to salvation and in particular those works that benefitted the institution of the church, its leaders, and its gilded cathedrals.

When David was appointed king, he inherited a nation in turmoil. This young man was expected to lead the Israelites out of civil war and into prosperity.

Today's devotional author is Debbie Jorgens, Prince of Peace's Director of Congregational Care and...

The story of Ruth and Naomi can remind us that the Lord seeks what seems lost, binds up what was broken, redeems and makes new the past and gives us a new time and place.

Yesterday, we encountered the familiar story of Ruth, one not only of a faithful daughter-in-law but a profound witness to God’s enduring promise of love. Ruth, a Moabite woman, faced with challenges and hardships, exemplifies a steadfast commitment to love and loyalty, mirroring God’s unwavering devotion to us.

“Thou shalt not…” this is how the King James Version of the Bible translates the beginning words for seven of the ten commandments.  This stylized language has an enduring quality, and I suspect when asked to recite a commandment or more, many would begin with these same words.  I’m also fairly certain that the tablets Charleton Heston carried down his soundstage mountain were first inscribed in the KJV.

Knowing I was to write devotions on the Ten Commandments, I had been thinking about them a lot. The Israelites were living under oppression in Egypt when the God of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob heard their cry and rescued them through Moses. They had left Egypt and slavery. But what did it mean now to journey with, to live in, this large community moving through the wilderness? 

Over the years, my parents have acquired more than a few sets of China.  In addition to their own sets, acquired as wedding gifts and from their times living overseas, they also inherited several sets from their parents and other family members.  Looking to downsize their collection a few years ago, they offered Anne & me one of my grandmother’s sets, just as we moved into our new home in 2019.  We accepted it but with one important condition.

“The world is exhausting me under a constant barrage of news, conflict, and injustice.  I look to my church to feel the love of God fulfilling and refueling me to take on the week.”  

This was what one of our BIG Idea Team members shared earlier this summer.