Inadequacies (#186 of 365+)

I really needed this message today. Just last night I discovered a wonderful job opportunity with a non-profit organization. My husband told me they would love to hire someone with my

Gray-Haired Splendor (#185 of 365+)

“Gray hair [is] the splendor of the old” (Proverbs 20:29)

Joni’s ninety-year-young “bright, sprightly, and dapper” Englishman friend, Ernest Barkaway, wrote the following poem

Spit (#184 of 365+)

“Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, ‘Prophesy!’ And the guards took him and beat him” (Mark 14:65)

God Suffered First (#183 of 365+)

The other day I heard a Christian radio program about one of the latest troubling teen trends on the rise: Cutting. Statistics indicate self-injury among teen boys and girls is now more common than

The Greatest Spectacle (#182 of 365+)

The death penalty is controversial because it’s the taking of a human life. In the U.S. we like to protect one’s human rights so, before an execution ever takes place, we’ll first make sure all

What’s Good in Good Friday? (#181 of 365+)

One of the first important things my husband told me about himself when we were getting to know each other was how he hates to see the symbol of the cross being used as a fashion

God and the Gravy Boat (#180 of 365+)

“Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked. ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to

No Wrestling Match (#179 of 365+)

“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44)

That last night in Gethsemane before his arrest Jesus Christ

Nothing Hidden (#178 of 365+)

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13)

Passover Lamb (#177 of 365+)

“Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household… The animals you choose must be year-old males

Who Killed Jesus? (#176 of 365+)

“All the people answered, ‘Let his blood be on us and on our children!’” (Matthew 27:25)

The crowd cried out for the release of a known criminal and for

Unravel the Thread (#175 of 365+)

Joni talked about a lady who was crocheting an intricate table runner when she discovered she had made a mistake somewhere way back in the pattern. Instead of ignoring something most

Sin’s Deceit (#174 of 365+)

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24)

God Bless You (#173 of 365+)

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers” (Psalm 1:1)

Good Enough? (#172 of 365+)

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good,

One Thing at a Time (#171 of 365+)

I have too many things on my mind this morning! We’re short-handed at the office, my workload has increased, and there aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything. The

Praying the Word (#170 of 365+)

When the occasion calls for presenting thoughts in the best possible packaging, you might search for hours or days for the right words. You’ll start borrowing ideas from a mentor, quoting

Godly Questions (#169 of 365+)

“Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger

He Works in Mysterious Ways (#168 of 365+)

“His father and mother replied, ‘Isn't there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?’ But Samson said to his

Hard Hearts (#167 of 365+)

I wonder if it’s possible that someone hasn’t heard the Exodus story by now. Any person who wasn’t raised in or around the Judeo-Christian tradition surely has seen the Oscar-winning 1956

A Seventeenth-Century Prayer (#166 of 365+)

“Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions. Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. Wisdom is a

A Religion for Losers (#165 of 365+)

Years ago media mogul Ted Turner called Christianity a “religion for losers”… and boy, was he right!

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father

A Hard Path to Joy (#164 of 365+)

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus, Our Life and Breath (#163 of 365+)

“He is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:27-28)

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I

Suffering’s Response (#162 of 365+)

“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the

The Truth about Suffering (#161 of 365+)

“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him” (Philippians 1:29)

Modern day Christians in America may not yet be able to relate to

Answering Isaiah (#160 of 365+)

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:… Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him…?” (Isaiah 58:6-7)

Objects of His Wrath (#159 of 365+)

“All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But

Once Enemies (#158 of 365+)

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him” (John 3:36)

At Jesus’ Feet (#157 of 365+)

“As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears” (Luke 7:38)

As terrible as it was, slavery produced the perfect conditions for a

Mangled Earrings (#156 of 365+)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Joni once accidentally ran over one of her favorite earrings with