15. Family Matters

David succeeded everywhere except at home.  And if you don’t succeed at home, do you succeed at all?

13. Pride Comes Before Fall

Did David see Bathsheba, the human being?  The wife of Uriah? The daughter of Israel? The creation of God? No.  David had lost his vision.  Don’t make his mistake.

12. Tough Promises

The king is kind, not because the boy is deserving, but because the promise is enduring. 

10. Nevertheless

Turn a deaf ear to old voices.  And, as you do, open your eyes to new choices.

8: Weariness: It is Alright to Rest

Support systems don’t always support.  Friends aren’t always friendly.  When no one can help, we have to do what David does.  He turns toward God.

4. Desperate Days

David stumbles in this story.  Desperate souls always do.  But at least he stumbles into the right place – into God’s sanctuary, where God meets and ministers to hopeless hearts. 

The Feast

There was no lamb on the table because the Lamb of God was at the table.  Jesus was the main course.

12. The Ransom

Now you do not need to help people, but you want to help them, to resemble the One who did so much for you, to bring him delight.

11. The Trap

If you want God to be your Saviour, you have to replace what you have already looking to as a saviour.

9. The Turn

I am a King, but a King going to a cross; and if you want to follow me, you have got to the cross too.

7. The Stain

Outside-in will never work, because most of what causes our problems works from the inside out.  

6. The Waiting

Are you trying to hurry Jesus?  Are you impatient with the waiting?  Let him take you by the hand, let him do what he wants to do.  He loves you completely.  He knows what he is doing.

5. The Power

If you know that he did not abandon you in that ultimate storm, what makes you think he would abandon you in the much smaller storms you’re experiencing right now?

4. The Rest

When Jesus says, “I am the Lord of the Sabbath,” Jesus means that he is the Sabbath.  He is the source of the deep rest we need. 

3. The Healing

Almost always, when we first go to Jesus saying, “This is my deepest wish,” his response is that we need to go a lot deeper than that.

2. The Call

Religion is advice on how you must live to earn your way to God.  The gospel is not advice.  It is a gift that you receive by sheer grace.

1. The Dance

What he has enjoyed from all eternity, he has come to offer to us.

Surely Goodness and Love Will Follow Me

Just as God’s goodness and mercy flow to us all the days of our life, so goodness and mercy should follow us, should be left behind us as a legacy to others wherever we may go.

You Prepare a Table Before Me

Predators can still attack, poisonous weeds can still grow, storms and gales can still come swirling up over the peaks. Yet in His care and concern for us, Christ still ensures that we shall have some gladness with our sadness, some delightful days as well as dark days, some sunshine as well as shadow.

Even Though I Walk Through the Valley

The basic question is not whether we have many or few valleys. It is not whether those valleys are dark or merely dim with shadows. The question is how do I react to them?

He Leads Me Beside Quiet Waters

Many of the places we may be led into will appear to us as dark, deep, dangerous, and somewhat disagreeable. But it simply must be remembered that He is there with us in it.

Advent: Coming and Arrival

As the year is drawing to an end, may we say “no” to the things that distract us from Jesus and say “yes” to the gifts — hope, peace, joy, and love — that God wants us to experience.

Response-able

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Accountability

Becoming accountable and responsible is a crucial part of growing up and becoming a mature, balanced human being.

Affection

No one ever outgrows the need for affection.

Acceptance

is a crucial step towards building a nurturing relationship with our children/students.