Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'". Matthew 22:37-39 NIV

In 1999, let's strive to keep God's greatest commandments...to LOVE!

If you think about it, God is love. God, from

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk 3:17-18

.......and though the bird feeder falls to the ground, yet I will

How useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds! Proverbs 1:17 NIV

Birds are too smart for that, are you?

If you are going to catch birds with a net, you don't won't them to see you laying out the net. If they do...you won't catch many birds.

In the Biblical days of Solomon, bird hunters would spread a net on the ground, baited with food

All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name. Acts 10:43 NIV

If you don't know it yet, you can receive forgiveness. Oh, you're exactly right if your thinking that I don't know your past. I don't. And, thankfully, you don't know mine.

You could be reading this from prison right

Again He asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?" Luke 13:20 NIV

Jesus didn't know how to put it into terms they could understand. He wanted to. It was just to wonderful for words.

Have you ever wanted to describe something to someone, but you just couldn't come up with the right description. Anything you said would just pale in

Once when Jesus was praying in private and His disciples were with Him, He asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?" Luke 9:18 NIV

I spent the weekend in New York recently. I love big cities, and very small towns. I guess that makes me versatile (maybe you can think of a better description). When I think of crowds, I easily think of New York.

Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time? Luke 12:56 NIV

It's getting cloudy outside again. Looks like it might rain. No, I think it's cold enough to snow.

I'm not very old, but you know, I'm pretty good at judging a cloudy day from a sunny day.

So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 10:48 NIV

The early church did everything in the name of Jesus! So should we!

I did a search on my Bible software for the phrase "in the name of Jesus" or "in the name of the Lord". Throughout the book of Acts, in nearly every chapter, the people performed their work in this way.

So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if He calls you, say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 1 Samuel 3:9 NIV

Has God been trying to get your attention lately? Is God trying to tell you something? Are you having a hard time hearing?

Samuel was in training to be a great man of God. He was

Then the Lord said to him, "Take off your sandals; the place where you are standing is holy ground." Exodus 3:5

Moses had to get out of his sandals to enter into the holy presence of God. You and I must leave some things behind as well if we are to commune with a Holy God.

Moses was in the middle of the desert. No doubt he was tired and hot. His

He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Matthew 8:26a

Is there anything in your life that scares you to death? Is there a bill you can't pay; a cancer that keeps spreading; a heart that is breaking; a spouse that is unfaithful; a child that has strayed?

Life is full of those unexpected obstacles that tend to twist every inch of

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Matthew 7:16 NIV

Jesus had a way of speaking rather clearly, didn't He?

I am not a tree expert. I am fascinated with people they can not only pick out an oak tree, but tell me exactly what type of oak it is. Can you tell the difference in an

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." John 9:3 NIV

Sometimes we can't understand why bad things happen to good people; even the people of God. We see Christians suffer; we ourselves suffer. We look around to see what God is up to...and quite

For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that causes me shame, but that I will always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or I die. Philippians 1:20 NLT

Paul was not saying that he had never done anything wrong, or that nothing in his past could

This is what your Sovereign Lord says, your God, who defends His people: "See, I have taken out of our hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again." Isaiah 51:22 NIV

Did you know you had a cup? Yes, that's right, you did, and it made you stagger! Did you know that, too?

You see, before you

We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all. Ephesians 4:4-6 NLT

Before we get too far, you need to know that this is talking about those of us

'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.' 2 Chronicles 20:9

The fair city in which I live has been devestated by tornado. We have experienced the worst loss to

O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. 2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV

Sometimes things happen in life that we cannot explain. There are times that seem to make no sense. We can try to add reason to them, but it is of no use. Logic just

He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's." 2 Chronicles 20:15 NIV

The other side looked pretty tough! Their army was filled with some pretty big dudes! "How will we ever take

"You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out and face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you." 2 Chronicles 20:17 NIV

Do you sometimes need just a little bit of encouragement?

You know the

And the word of the Lord came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 1 Kings 19:9 NIV

Elijah had witnessed God do some amazing things. God had allowed him to stop the rain at his word. The famine came, but Elijah was kept fed. In fact, birds from the air were his waiters; morning and night.

Elijah went to the widow and her child to show God's