Psalm 23 This Psalm is a wonderful passage to memorize and to use in our private times of worship. It is good to be reminded that the Shepherd of our life, the Captain of our ship, our Life Coach, is the Wonderful Counselor, the Almighty God, the Everlasting and Eternal […]
Isaiah 40:27-31 One thing I have learned is that our wonderful, Almighty God is faithful. He is beyond faithful! We pray for the things we need and the things we want, and He grants them to us most of the time. I have learned recently how God has answered prayers […]
Habakkuk 3:17-19 Habakkuk 3:17-19 is a powerful reminder that our joy and contentment should not be dependent on our circumstances. Habakkuk expresses his faith and trust in God in the face of adversity. He recognizes that even when everything else fails, God remains faithful and worthy of our praise. This […]
Luke 11:9-13 As we pray, knowing that our God is a good Father is vital! A good father is trustworthy, provides for his family, sets boundaries, gives guidance, listens to his kids, and loves to bring them joy. Our God is all of these things—and more, of course! He just […]
Colossians 4:2-4 Our life group recently finished Colossians. I’ve read Colossians before, so “be watchful and thankful” wasn’t new, but this time I stopped at the word “watchful” (NIV). Watchful for what and why? My first thought, of course, was the garden, the disciples, Jesus telling them to watch and […]
Philippians 4:11-12 So many times, we are hit with unexpected troubles and “bumps” in the road, and we are left wondering why. We pray, and we wonder if God is answering our prayer because our situation does not change. We have only to look to Paul in Philippians 4:11-12 when […]
1 John 5:14-15 The verses in 1 John 5:14-15 promise that if we ask God for anything according to His will, He hears us. However, it isn’t a carte blanch promise that God will answer our prayers exactly as we have asked. God will answer either “Yes,” “No,” or “Wait.” […]
Matthew 21:21-22 April 13, 2023, I was driving alone from Ripon to Hollywood. I stopped at the rest stop on the Grapevine, heading southbound on Interstate 5. After using the restroom, I continued down to my brother’s place in Hollywood. I found a place to park and texted my brother […]
Matthew 6:10, 13 When we were professors in a Christian college in the Philippines, we were often in discussions with the students about our cultures. The students were interested in my Jewish background. One of them knew about the Jewish American Prince (or Princess)—the offspring of a holocaust survivor that […]
2 Chronicles 7:14 I can’t tell you how many times someone has said to me something like this: “Pastor Rick, I’ve tried prayer and it didn’t work. I mean, I had a need and so I prayed about it over and over again, but nothing happened. So, I’m really having […]