Unlocked Archives
October 11, 2024
READ: LUKE 19:1-10; ROMANS 15:7 Sometimes I find it difficult to take feedback from others. I put a lot of effort into what I do, so it can be hard to hear notes and criticism about the work I’m doing, whether it’s about my job, writing, singing, or just my personal life. And it’s even [...]
March 24, 2024
READ: MATTHEW 21:1-11; PHILIPPIANS 2:1-11 The governor was coming into town. Moriah had been waiting weeks to catch even a glimpse of the man. He was supposed to stay for the festival week and bring his entourage of soldiers and even a jester. Moriah had even heard the governor’s war horse would be the biggest [...]
March 19, 2024
READ: ROMANS 6:1-11 Sometimes I watch the seasons progress with awe. Everything looks dead in winter, and then suddenly one day in the spring, daffodils start popping up, and soon after the trees blossom and turn green. God has a pattern of bringing new life. In the beginning, God created everything, including people. Adam was [...]
February 27, 2024
READ: GENESIS 12:1-4; 21:1-5 One thing I’ve always had to keep practicing is patience. I’m more patient now than when I was younger, but having to wait for things still irritates me more than I would like. And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to wait longer for the things that are important to me. [...]
February 26, 2024
READ: OBADIAH 1:1-21 I hadn’t read the book of Obadiah until about two years ago. It’s the shortest book in the Old Testament (it’s only one chapter), and it can be confusing. The book mostly centers on poems that cast judgement on the people of Edom, who were related to the Israelites through Abraham’s family [...]
February 12, 2024
READ: NAHUM 1:1-7; 2:1-10; 3:1-4, 18-19; ACTS 17:24-31 Sometimes I see all the bad in the world and I start to feel hopeless. With things like war and cancer in the world, does God even care? Well, the short book of Nahum in the Bible is a collection of poems that shows how God does [...]
January 29, 2024
READ: MICAH 4:1-7; JOHN 10:11-18; REVELATION 21:1-5 In the book of the Bible called Micah, the prophet Micah speaks of God’s coming judgment against the nation of Israel: the impending invasion from the nation of Assyria. The book begins with an image of God coming down and bringing judgement. The vivid imagery describes mountains melting [...]
January 25, 2024
READ: MATTHEW 11:25–12:14; 18:1-17; JAMES 3:1-2 I’m a big rule-follower, but I was more so when I was younger. I really didn’t want to make waves or question anyone who was in charge. It’s something I’m still not really comfortable with to this day. But sometimes the rules we’re asked to follow do not align [...]
January 21, 2024
READ: GENESIS 1:27; PSALM 139:13-18 I’m one of those people who likes to make a big deal out of birthdays. Whenever it’s someone else’s birthday, I try to at least send a happy birthday text, or get a gift, or even throw a party. When it comes to my own birthday, I always try to [...]
January 15, 2024
READ: ISAIAH 61:8; JEREMIAH 22:3; MATTHEW 23:23 It’s discouraging to see so much evil in the world. Evil and sin have been a part of the world for a long time, but as I get older, I notice it more than when I was a kid. I hear news about corruption, poverty, or health crises...and [...]