“…to give thanks to the name of the Lord.” Psalm 122:4b ESV Mankind’s dealing with the idea of God is curious indeed. And never has this perplexing conundrum held more mental and spiritual acuity for me than after serving for many years upon foreign mission fields. All humans are born with an innate desire to find God. Yet when they do encounter the one true God and dislike His ways and laws, they will create a god of their liking. It is a truth, unless huma

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 ESV The path was narrow, perilous, and most frighteningly, bathed in pure darkness. It was etched into the side of the mountain, a jagged scar upon its sheer, stony face. The mountaineer that dared to trespass upon it felt the weight and gravity of his every step. Each footfall carried consequences beyond what he would like to consider, yet step by step, he proceeded down the precarious path. In a few

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the Law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in His ways!” Psalm 119:1-3 ESV How can you find something that is lost? To further complicate that question, how can you find something that is lost, if you yourself are lost? I imagine here a worn, rough, parrot-accompanied pirate that is combing the Caribbean for a certain

“He causes the grass to grow for the cattle” Psalm 104:14 NKJV There are many constants in this world. Things that, just as the sun rises and sets each day, will occur with tremendous rhythm and regularity. And one of those is the green grass growing. And what beauty and elegance lies in the simplicity of grass. Merely look upon the beauty of an endless rolling field, the grass gently swaying in a breeze that caresses it into a melodic and hypnotic dance. O

“The Lord reigns…” Psalm 97:1a ESV It is perhaps the most uttered word when attempting to discern and understand the ways of God. Oh, how many times must this single-word interrogative question pass the lips of humans each day as they attempt to understand why God does what He does. Why? At the root core of the human condition lies a sin nature that desires to go its own way. Yet how can you truly blaze your own life-trail with such limited know

“Teach me your ways O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.” Psalm 86:11 ESV All of us, throughout our years, have been taught and thus learned much. In our primary years we learned to read and write. Skills that, if used well, catapulted us into future realms of learning. In our junior years we learned more abstract skills such as algebra, physics, geometry, and philosophy, the mind being opened to process and learn in new a

“Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name ; and deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, for Your name’s sake ! Psalm 79:9 NKJV (italics added) The dead-heat photo finish, the tie, the draw. Whether it be horse racing, soccer, or boxing respectively, they are all sports contests that can end with no clear winner found. And how unsatisfactory that is. Just the other day I was watching the Dallas Cowboys play and was excited to see the

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose Word I praise . This I know, that God is for me. In God whose Word I praise , in the Lord whose Word I praise .” Psalm 56:3-4, 9-10 ESV I sat in the small, simple, humble room observing my surroundings, all 5 senses deeply drawing in the moment. The rain fell softly outside pattering the broad, green banana leaves that flanked the open doorway. In this small Mexican mountain village, our work had brough

“Clap your hands all peoples, shout to God with loud songs of joy! Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the king of all the earth, sing praises with a psalm!” Psalm 47:1, 6-7 ESV When I became a follower of Jesus Christ way back in 1995, one of the strangest facets of church life for me to process was the singing. All the people in the church standing together, facing forward, and singing songs I had never hear

“ The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart ; his steps do not slip.” Psalm 37:30-31 ESV (italics added) The very first chapter of the Bible, Genesis chapter 1, tells us that God created mankind in His own image. It should not surprise us then that mankind is beautifully complex. And in this beautiful complexity we are unique creatures within God’s animal kingdom. Humans alone have the abilit

“…and after the fire, a light silent sound.” 1 Kings 19:12b NAB If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? An ages old philosophical thought experiment to challenge the boundaries of human perception and observation. But what if I were to press into that thought experiment and move the edge of the philosophical boundary just a bit? What if nothing happened in that forest? Would someone need be present to perceive the

“And now my soul is poured out within me, days of affliction have taken hold of me.” Job 30:16 ESV “The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me.” Job 30:27 NIV One of the main difficulties in dealing with this life’s many moments of turmoil and tribulation is keeping the problem the problem. Yes, many times, as an external problem confronts us with its fury and frustration, we unwittingly invite the problem into our lives to stay and rest

““I cry out, “help!” but no one answers me.”” Job 19:7a NLT From the time we inhale our first gulp of this planet’s oxygen-rich air, we are skilled at crying out. As babes we are innately and instinctively prepared to cry out for what we need. As we collect a few more years under our belt, now toddlers, we are still quick to cry out for help when a scraped knee materializes. In our teens we cry out in different ways, yet still the pattern is set, when a great

“And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14b NASB It’s not what you know but who you know. The idea that what you need to get done is just an arm’s length away from the person that can allow you or assist you in the completion of said thing. But just exactly how have those people been placed in your life? And is it true that only people in high places can truly move the mountains in this life or, as Garth Brooks

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega. (Revelation 1:8) He was in the beginning and stretches beyond the ends of known time. (Isaiah 46:10) Jesus is the creator of everything that has ever been created and without Him nothing has been created. (John 1:3) Jesus is the binding agent that daily holds creation together. (Colossians 1:17) Jesus is God,

“The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention.” 2 Chronicles 33:10 ESV The year is 1983 in a small town in north Texas. Crandall to be exact. The location is a 6th grade classroom. The desks and students are ordered well, likes soldiers in precise rows, and directly in front of the platoon stands the teacher. Mr. Martin to be exact. And yes, sitting somewhere in that small band of students sits this guy, Dan Potter. Mr. Martin i

“Amaziah asked the prophet: "But what should I do about the hundred talents of silver I paid the Israelite troops?" The prophet replied, "The Lord is capable of giving you more than that.” 2 Chronicles 25:9 NET By nature, we humans are loss averse, meaning we desire to avoid losses whenever and wherever possible. Especially with money. And concerning this loss aversion, there is a curious development that has ensued since the invention of the general-purpose c

“And he went out to meet king Asa and said to him, “hear me Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin, The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, he will forsake you.” 2 Chronicles 15:2 “but when, in their distress, they turned to Lord the God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them” 2 Chronicles 15:4 “for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought them with their whole desire, and He was found by them.

“Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the Lord…” 2 Chronicles 12:1a NKJV Success has always been a fascinating discussion topic for me. What truly is success? At what point is one truly considered to be successful? And at that point who is the one defining the other’s success? Can one be seen as successful to some but be seen as unsuccessful to another? With an obvious yes to

“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it .” 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 NASB Throughout my life I have received much adv