Christine's Blog (2,628)

One of my passions is gardening—flowers mostly—and roses are my joy!--although I do have blueberries, blackberries and an apricot tree too.  Into my back garden, I delight in inviting birds of all kinds, (though they can be a little destructive to my fruit!).  There are artsy, colorful birdhouses, feeders and baths with which I…

The enemy of more is satisfaction.  The sentiment might apply to the accrual of material goods, it might apply to athletic achievement, but I heard it in the context of God’s heart for me.  “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…”  Instantly I asked myself,…

Passion and Power.  John 7.37-39

The young minister was compelling.  He was a great teacher of the Word, and an engaging speaker—funny, witty, and passionate about his message.  I was sitting among several young people I had taken to the Sunday night service, listening intently to…

You would be hard-pressed to find someone who does not have an opinion about Jesus Christ, but surprisingly, there are so many people—even in today’s modern culture—that do not know very much about Jesus.  Most have done little investigation of their own.  They have heard he was born in Bethlehem, and put in a…

Of timing, unbelief, and hatred for the truth.  John 7.1-9

As you read or listen to John 7, verses one through nine, notice three things: Jesus was well aware of timing; his brothers did not believe in him; the world hated him because he spoke the truth about them.…

You’ve been praying and praying…         John 6.60-69/prayer

Just in case you are one who is ready to turn away because you have been praying and praying, and it seems your prayers are hitting the ceiling … you just might be like those in the crowd that…

Yet though he slay me.  John 6.60-69

This is a scene that makes my heart ache for Jesus.  The people have seen his heart—they have heard his teaching, been fed by him, and seen him heal . . . but now, once something is required of them, they turn away from…

ONLY ONE.  John 6.60-69

Oh sure, they were ‘all in’ when he was doing the miraculous . . . come on, do some more!  They were ‘all in’ when he was telling them about a kingdom which would have no end … they were sick of harsh Roman rule over…

Do you think it would have been easier for you to put your trust in Jesus if you lived in the first century, rather than now?  Would you more readily believe that Jesus was sent by God if you saw him do a miracle with your own eyes, instead of reading someone else’s account of it?  What I am saying is, do you think that believing would come easier to you if you…

If I were to get a tattoo, I would choose one of God’s promises – something that I wanted to always keep in the forefront of my mind.  However, it would be challenging to choose which of his promises is most significant to me, because at different times, that seems to change.  His promises are 'life lines' when the way is rough, sure reasons for hope when I might be…

I hope you are awake, and will read and consider carefully the import of all you are about to read today.

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will…

Can I be honest here?  Their response made me roll my eyes.  I thought to myself, ‘Are you kidding me?  You want him to prove it to you again—do another miracle, and then you’ll believe in him?’  After all, they had heard about his healings, they had heard about how he saved the wedding couple from disaster by supplying wine when theirs…

Prayer requests come in regularly to my ministry website,  but this one really got my attention:  “Please pray that I have the strength to keep going in my position in my company.  So much is demanded of me, and has been for so long, that I am under immense pressure.  I find I have little balance between work and any kind of…

The faces change.  The scenarios change . . . the reason does not.  ‘I just really want him to love me,’ the high school girl explains to me, the day after she has given far too much of herself away to a demanding young man.  She wants love, and is willing to give sex for it.  He wants sex, and is willing to promise love for…

Jesus: The Bread of Life   John 6.22-59

Father, as we read through the rest of this passage following Jesus’ feeding of the 5000, his walking on the water to the disciples … please help us to grasp what you were saying to the crowd then, and what it means to us…

~One more lesson from the Feeding of the Five Thousand, John 6.1-13

“After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee…”  To what did the ‘after this’ refer?  In syncing events of Jesus’ ministry, our Lord was not just physically weary from teaching and…

The stage is set for one of history’s real-live dramas, and you have just gotten the word there is to be an open casting call.  This is the break you have been waiting for—a chance to make your mark, a chance for your name to go in the history books, the opportunity of a lifetime!  In perhaps the best known of all of Jesus’ miracles, the Feeding of the Five-Thousand, you…