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Bible Reading Plan for October

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OCTOBER 1   2 Timothy 2; Ps. 118 2   2 Timothy 3; Ps. 119:1-24 3   2 Timothy 4; Ps. 119:25-56 4   Titus 1; Ps. 119:57-80 5   Titus 2; Ps. 119:81-104 6   Titus 3; Ps. 119:105-136 7   Philemon 1; Ps. 119:137-160 8   Hebrews 1; Ps. 119:161-176 9   Hebrews 2; Ps. 120 10   Hebrews 3; Ps. 121 11   Hebrews 4; Ps. 122 12   Hebrews 5; Ps. 123 13   Hebrews 6; Ps. 124 14   Hebrews 7; Ps. 125 15   Hebrews 8; Ps. 126 16   Hebrews 9; Ps. 127 17   Hebrews 10; Ps. 128 18   Hebrews 11 19   Hebrews 12; Ps. 129 20   Hebrews 13; Ps. 130 21   James 1; Ps. 131 22   James 2; Ps. 132 23   James 3; Ps. 133 24   James 4; Ps. 134 25   James 5; Ps. 135 26   1 Peter 1; Ps. 136 27
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Who is your king?

  Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”    Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”    Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” John 18:36-38a In a culture that stresses having the “right” identity, you and I have many.    For example, I am a son of my parents, husband to my wife, father to my children, grandfather to their children, a neighbor, a friend, a pastor.    You get the idea.    All of these relationships mark us – identify us.    While we might like to consider all of these identities equally, there is a hierarchy whereby one identity overshadows or has priority over another.    As we raised our children, my k
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Who are your friends?

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12-13   Listen, loved ones, and let me tell you about my friend, Randy.   He and I were about as opposite as two friends could be.  I worked in technology and he built buildings out of brick.  I loved to run and he loved to hunt.  While the towers fell in 2001, I sat dumbstruck with the rest of the country wondering what would happen next.  Randy would learn of it two weeks later because he was up in the Canadian tundra, near the Arctic Circle without cell service, hunting musk ox, and avoiding grizzly bears. Yet, when he and I would sing together, I felt I could sing better because it was us singing.  He included me. He encouraged me to play guitar, sing, and lead. For several years, leading our church’s worship team together, we were a team. He would lead the congregation and I would lead the band. It worked well, we both
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Happy Good Friday?

Happy Good Friday? How can we describe as “Happy” a day that was so very sad? Also   called Black Friday, Holy Friday, and Great Friday, we celebrate this  day on the Friday before Easter.  The Scriptures tell us that on this  day, nearly 2000 years ago, Jesus was arrested, accused, condemned, and  killed. If anyone was there to be His   advocate, we do not know of it.   There is no report of such advocacy in the Biblical accounts. But   in this account of this day we read of darkness having its way.  Everything that could “go wrong” did. Or did it? As Bob Goff says,  “Darkness fell. His friends scattered. All hope seemed lost. But then  heaven just started counting to three.” Looking   at this story from the end backwards, we know what the disciples and  those who killed Him did not - that He would indeed rise again!  How can   we then look at this story with a freshness our world desperately  needs? We can receive that freshness  by becoming desperate. When I realize the de
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The Image

Have you checked the mirror this morning? I ask you this not to have you look over your shoulder or remember the guy that was following too closely behind you in traffic this morning. No, as you prepared for the day this morning and looked in the mirror, you probably looked   closely at your own face.  Take a moment and remember through your mind’s eye: what face held your gaze as you looked in the mirror?   Now, before you are overly critical (or overly admiring) about the face you remember, read this: So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27 You may want to sit down as you read this next, often overlooked, incredible truth:   You bear the image of Almighty God. Have you pondered that lately? Last weekend, I had the opportunity to consider this anew: each of us bear the image of the Almighty God, creator of the universe - the One who loved enough to die for us so that we would have eternal life w
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Farewell, Jack!

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Over the years, I have had the privilege of a nearly 30-year relationship with a dear friend of our family who Sherry and I met early on in our marriage.  Jack White, and his wife Nadine, spiritually adopted us as their kids soon after we married and moved to San Jose, California. Jack owned a business that provided industrial sandpaper and other abrasives. The business was aptly named Abrasive Supply with it’s motto: “It’s a rough old world without Abrasive Supply”. We met Jack and Nadine at the church we began attending, Valley Community Church. Jack was the lay-leader of the congregation along with the choir director, worship leader, and Sunday School teacher.  He and Nadine often invited us over to their home for dinner or movies or just hanging out by their pool. Their kids were older than us and had started families. But of course, they also welcomed us as part of the family. Even though we lived in San Jose for just less than two years, that time was all it took for
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Take Action!

By now, most if not all of us have heard or read of the violence that has gripped this country and this world.   Men and women destroyed – some because of the color of their skin or their faith or lack of faith.   Others lost their lives because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time - at the whim of evil men. The media fuels the furor with non-stop coverage while division reigns as people take sides and demand justice.   And, maybe you’re feeling what I’m feeling: we want to take action.   We want to do something! What can we do?   What does God ask of His people? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 Notice the requirement: to act!   Emerson said: "What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." Actions speak louder than words! Do you want to do something? Then, be purposeful about ‎acting justly. In other words, s
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