[Jesus speaking] “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. That is the way…

[Jesus speaking] “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. And you know the way to where I am going.” “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we…

[Jesus speaking] “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations… Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20(NLT)   I’ve been focusing on Jesus’ own words as a source of…

  As I head to the garden this Memorial Day weekend, I share this beautiful post by Stephanie Bryant. It poetically expresses my own time in the garden. I feel closer to God, hands in tilled soil, dirt under fingernails, breeze on my face, sun warmth on my back. This is where I came from.…

When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, He gave them this advice: When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you…

  Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse…

After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 1 Corinthians 3:5-6 (NLT)   Sometimes…

[Jesus] said, “[The king] returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were.” The first servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’ “’Well done!’ the king exclaimed. ‘You are a good servant. You have been…

[Jesus] said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’ But his people hated him and sent a delegation after…

 When you consider the commandment to love, what do you think? (Please pause and answer before you continue)   I immediately think of people: family, friends, dogs (OK, mostly people). I also think about the lonely, hungry, forgotten, and hurting. If your answer was similar, then neither of us named the most important kind of…