THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE

 May 6, 2026

The devotions over the next few days are based on a rough outline of thoughts for a Sermon series that I have never completed or attempted to preach. It's based on thoughts I have had or questions I have been asked. My prayer is that these reflections will speak to you, and bring some challenge and clarity to your spiritual journey.

Romans 2:14–15

"They show that the requirements of the law

are written on their hearts,

their consciences also bearing witness…”

This week we have been attempting to address the question “Is God Real?” In  Acts 17:22–28 the apostle Paul in Athens spoke saying to his listeners God is Real, closer than you think. God is not hiding, He leaves fingerprints everywhere for those willing to look.

Inside every person is a quiet voice that nudges, warns, and sometimes demands to be heard. We call it the conscience. It’s that inner sense we all have that tells us some things in life are good and worth chasing, while other choices are wrong and would be best avoided. I am sure you know what I'm talking about. It’s that feeling that rises inside us when we’ve hurt someone, the urge we feel to speak up, apologize, forgive, or show kindness.

Here is what I find rather fascinating, that this inner moral awareness isn’t limited to one culture, religion, or time period. Across the world, people who have never met, still share a basic sense of right and wrong. While the specifics may vary, there is something that stands out as universal about this.

So, the question we might want to ask is, if this push or pull toward right and wrong is so wide ranging, Where does that come from?

In the New Testament in Romans 2 it says something profound: God has written His law—not on tablets, not on scrolls, not on monuments—but on the human heart. In other words, the suggestion fromthe book of Roamns is that our moral compass is not an "accident"of evolution or a product of "social conditioning". It is a gift. A signature. A whisper from the One who made us.

Consider what I am suggestion in ths way:

Why do we instinctively value honesty?
Why do we feel guilty when we betray trust?
Why do we admire courage and selflessness?
Why do we draw back or recoil at cruelty or injustice?

I believe, these reactions result from something deeper than our personal preferences, they originate from an inner sense that we are made for goodness. Think of it, even when we fall short of embodying goodness, we still recognize that in some way or other we missed the mark, and feel we can do better.

I have heard it said, 

"that our conscience is like a spiritual nerve ending. When we move toward what is good, it resonates. When we move away from it, it aches. And that ache is not meant to shame us, it’s meant to guide us."

I know someone may be thinking, "wait a moment, the voice of conscience can be shaped, dulled, ignored, or distorted." Yes, it is not perfect. But I wonder, if its very existence points to something beyond ourselves. Might it hint that goodness, honesty and intregrity are not some human invention but rather a reflection of a God who cares about justice, compassion, truth, and love.

The beautiful part: the same God who "wrote His law on our hearts" also offers grace when we fall short of goodness. The way I see it is that conscience reveals our need. Grace reveals God’s heart.

Do you suppose it is possible when we feel that inner tug, when something inside of us says, this matters… this is right… this is wrong… this is who you were meant to be, that we are dealing with something or someone far beyond psychological study and thought?  What if all this activity we call conscience, might in reality be the gentle voice of the One who formed you, wrote his law on your hearts, and is calling you and me toward the life we  were created to live.

Something to Think About

Where do you think our sense of right and wrong comes from, and how have you experienced that inner voice in your own life?

Let's Pray

God,
You’re not afraid of our questions.
You’re not put off by our doubts.
Meet us in what we don’t understand.
And help us see You more clearly—
not just in answers,
but in Jesus.
Amen.

I Wonder as I Wonder ....

May 5, 2026

The devotions over the next few days are based on a rough outline of thoughts for a Sermon series that I have never completed or attempted to preach. It's based on thoughts I have had or questions I have been asked. My prayer is that these reflections will speak to you, and bring some challenge and clarity to your spiritual journey.

Psalm 19:1

“The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” 

Have you ever had one of those moments where something in nature just… stops you?

Like a sunset that doesn’t even look real.
Or a night sky so full of stars it feels bigger than you know how to process.
The sound of waves crashing into the shoreline.
The stillness of a quiet morning with only the happy sound of a birdsong.
Even something small, like the detail in a leaf or the way a bird just takes off into the air.

The amazing miracle of placing some seeds, or bulbs into the ground and watching life unfold before you very eyes.

There is something about those moments. 
You don’t just see them… you feel them.
In that moment, that act of "seeing", perhaps it's only for a second, but have you noticed how everything slows down at that experience?

Even people who aren’t sure what they believe about God will sometimes say things like,
“That felt… meaningful.”
Or, “I don’t know why, but that moment stayed with me.”

It’s like something deep within us recognizes the beauty and life around us, yet we are left without the words, or a way to fully explain the moment. 

Above, that line from Psalm 19 says that creation is actually speaking. Not with words. Not in a way you can measure or prove. But in a quieter way. As a friend put it to me, it is "more like a nudge than a shout."

And maybe that’s why moments like that matter. Because beauty has a way of waking us up a little. The order or the world around us that is clearly noticable has a way of steadying us. And those moments of wonder, open something deep within us. Perhaps these experiences are not trying to make us believe anything, but just sparking our curiosity.

I sometimes ask in wonder: 
Why does beauty exist at all? Why do things like a sunset or sunrise, or birdsong, or autumn colors move us so deeply? And why does the world feel both vast and yet strangely near?

You know some people I have known have come to faith in God or the Creator through study or answering deep searching questions.

But a lot of people? A lot of people they start with wonder.
With a sense that maybe, there’s more going on than we can see.
That maybe the world isn’t just random.
That maybe what we’re feeling in those moments is an invitation.

Not pressure. Not certainty. Just… an invitation to pay attention and take notice.

If you have ever stood outside and felt small in a good way… say on a beach at midnight looking up into the stars above ....
or found peace near the waters edge …
or felt something shift or change in you during a quiet moment in nature… watching a hummingbird or the beauty and activity of the Monarch, maybe that wasn’t just a passing feeling.
Maybe it was a hint. That there’s more present around us than we usually notice.

What if that beauty that impacts us so deeply might not be accidental. That we all might be part of something bigger than we understand.

Psalm 19 says the heavens are declaring something.

The only question is: Are we slowing down enough to notice?

Something to Think About

When was the last time something in nature made you pause, stopped you in your tracks, and can you recall what it stirred in you?

Let's Pray

God,
You’re not afraid of our questions.
You’re not put off by our doubts.
Meet us in what we don’t understand.
And help us see You more clearly—
not just in answers,
but in Jesus.
Amen.

THE LONGING FOR “MORE”

May 4, 2026

The devotions over the next few days are based on a rough outline of thoughts for a Sermon series that I have never completed or attempted to preach. It's based on thoughts I have had or questions I have been asked. My prayer is that these reflections will speak to you, and bring some challenge and clarity to your spiritual journey.

 Ecclesiastes 3:11

“God has set eternity in the human heart…”  

 

Have you noticed that there seems to be a restlessness woven into the human experience, an ache that shows up in our quiet moments. Perhaps you have feelt it after the excitement of a big accomplishment wears off. Maybe, you have felt the ache in the middle of a busy week when everything looks fine on the outside but something inside of you whispers, Is this all there is? This ache, or longing, is felt when life slows down just long enough for our soul to speak.

All over the world, across every culture and generation, people talk about the same inner pull. We go after success, relationships, experiences, comfort, or distractions, hoping each new thing will finally ease the ache. It always comes back, like we’re chasing something we can sense but can’t quite put into words.

I believe, Ecclesiastes gives language to this experience: God has placed eternity in the human heart.  What our verse today is saying is that the longing you and I feel isn’t a sign that something is wrong with us, it’s a sign that something is right. We were made with a capacity for meaning that nothing temporary can fill.

I read recently that "This longing is not a flaw to fix. It’s a compass pointing home."

And this hunger is a sign of life.

If you feel that longing, if you’ve ever sensed that there must be more to life than what you can see or achieve, you are in good company. People across history have felt the same pull, ache, or longing. According to our Bible verse above, that longing is not an accident. It’s an invitation. Not an invitation to religion or pressure or performance. But an invitation to relationship.

A God who knows you.  A God who sees you. A God who planted eternity in your heart so that you would search for Him, and discover God has been searching and reaching for you.

The longing for “more” is a doorway to walk through.

Something to Think About

Where in your life do you sense a desire for something deeper, something more than what you’ve been settling for?

Let's Pray

God,
You’re not afraid of our questions.
You’re not put off by our doubts.
Meet us in what we don’t understand.
And help us see You more clearly—
not just in answers,
but in Jesus.
Amen.

SOUNDTRACK of the NEW CREATION

May 1, 2026

Psalm 150:6

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”

We wrap up our week of “PRAISE” by revisiting Psalm 150, a verse that truly captures the Bible’s call to praise from start to finish. Praise flows like a constant thread through the whole biblical story, from the songs sung on the far side of the Red Sea to the vibrant worship around the throne in Revelation. God’s people have always responded to His presence with praise, the heartfelt language of a life awakened to Him.

We have noted this week that throughout the scriptures, in particular the Psalms, praise begins with naming God’s character: “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” When we praise with words like these we are telling the truth about our Creator God. Praise re‑anchors us in reality. In a world that constantly tries to shrink God down to our circumstances, praise expands our vision again. It reminds us that God is still sovereign, still faithful, still good.

Israel praised God after crossing the Red Sea. Mary praised Him when she learned she would carry the Messiah. The early church praised God even from prison cells. This week we said that praise is memory work, drawing God’s past faithfulness into the present moment.

In the Book of Acts in chapter 16 when Paul and Silas sang in the dark of a prison cell, their chains didn’t fall off because their voices were magical. Their praise, their "singing Psalms as Hymns to God" declared a deeper truth than the walls around them.

Praise trains our hearts to trust.

Praise shifts our attention from fear to faith.

Praise opens our hands so God can fill them again.

When we flip to the Bible's last book, Revelation gives us a beautiful glimpse of the future: every tribe, every language, every nation gathered around the Lamb. Praise is the "soundtrack" of God’s new creation.

When we praise now, we join the worship that never ends. We declare that the brokenness of this world will not have the final word.

Reflect

Where has God shown His faithfulness in your life this week?

What truth about God do you need to speak out loud again?

What fear or burden needs to be surrendered through praise?

Let's Pray

Lord, You are worthy of all praise. Lift our eyes to see Your goodness, steady our hearts to trust Your promises, and tune our voices to the song of heaven. Let our praise today shape our lives tomorrow. Amen.

Praise That Tells a Story

 Praise That Tells a Story

April 30, 2026

Psalm 40:1-3

1 I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord

and put their trust in him.

There is an act of praise that goes beyond singing, it tells a story.

In Psalm 40, David does not start with a command to praise. He starts with a memory.

“I waited patiently for the Lord… He turned to me and heard my cry.”

This is not abstract theology. This is lived experience.

David remembers what it was like to be stuck, describing it as a “pit” filled with mud and mire, where every step feels shaky and moving forward seems impossible. Maybe that picture hits closer to home than we’d care to admit. We all know the feeling of being stuck, whether it’s emotionally, spiritually, or in life’s circumstances.

The real turning point in the psalm isn’t David’s effort, it’s what God does.

“He lifted me out… He set my feet on a rock… He gave me a firm place to stand.”

And then comes the line that shifts everything:

“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.”

Notice that praise, in our reading, is not forced. It is formed. It grows out of what God has done.
And it doesn’t stay private.

“Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him.”

You see that is the power of testimony. When praise tells a story, it becomes an invitation. Others begin to see that God is not distant, not theoretical, but active, present, and faithful.

You see the same pattern echoed in Psalm 66:

“Come and hear… let me tell you what He has done for me.”

Praise becomes proclamation.

Let's Pray

Lord,
You are not just the God we sing about, you are the God who acts. You hear us in our waiting. You meet us in the pit. You lift, restore, and steady us.

Give us eyes to see what You have done in our lives.
Put a new song in our mouths, not just for our sake, but for others to hear. Make our praise a testimony that points people to Your faithfulness.

Amen.

When God’s People Sing

April 29, 2026

The church’s most treasured hymns, whether centuries old or written last year, endure because they do one thing faithfully: they lift our eyes from ourselves and fix them on the glory, goodness, and nearness of God. Praise is not just something we offer; it is something God uses to reshape our hearts.

Across generations, cultures, and denominations, Christians naturally turn to song when words alone feel inadequate. The Bible teach us to:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16

Praise isn’t about entertainment, it’s about shaping us, declaring truth, letting go, and finding joy. The hymns we sing over and over, whether written centuries ago or just yesterday, become the playlist to our journey of faith.

Some hymns have become “favorites” not because they are nostalgic, but because they tell the truth beautifully and boldly.

“How Great Thou Art” – A hymn that lifts our eyes to creation, redemption, and the coming glory of Christ. It teaches us awe.

“Great Is Thy Faithfulness” – Rooted in the words of Lamentations 3, it reminds us that God’s mercies are new every morning, even when our circumstances are not.

“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” – A call to remember God’s sustaining power in every season.

These hymns last, I remember reading, "because they offer us words of praise strong enough for hardship and wide enough to hold joy."

I’m so grateful that God continues to inspire His people with new songs. In recent decades, a new group of hymn writers has emerged, blending rich theology with modern language and melodies. 

I think of:

“In Christ Alone” (Getty/Townend) –  It could almost be considered a modern creed set to music, proclaiming Christ’s victory from birth to resurrection.

“Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me” (CityAlight) – this is a song that is "gospel-rich" and focuses on a theme of dependence and hope.

These newer hymn/songs connect with us because they speak the language of today while carrying the weight of timeless Biblical truth.

I believe the staying power of  many songs/hymns of praise, whether old or new, is the result of the fact that when we sing these we are doing more than expressing emotion. We are:

Rehearsing the gospel
Reordering our desires
Reaffirming God’s character
Rejoining the global and historic church
Releasing our burdens into God’s hands

Recently, I read the following quote: "Praise isn’t about escaping reality; it’s about aligning with it. It’s the Spirit tuning our hearts to match the rhythm of God’s kingdom."

Maybe you have a hymn that has carried you through grief. Maybe you have a modern worship song that awakened your faith again. Maybe you have a chorus that our congregation sings with tears in our eyes. 

These songs are gifts.

"God meets us in melody. 

God strengthens us through harmony. 

God forms us through lyrics that preach to our souls."

Let's Pray

Lord, thank You for the songs that have shaped Your church. Thank You for the hymns that have carried saints before us and the new songs You are still giving today. Tune our hearts to praise You, not only with our voices, but with our lives. Make our worship honest, joyful, and rooted in Your truth. Amen.

I Will Praise You More and More

 April 28, 2026

Psalm 71:14-22

But as for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
of your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD;
I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.
Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,
and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.

Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,
you who have done great things.
Who, O God, is like you?
Though you have made me see troubles,
many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up.
You will increase my honor
and comfort me once again.
I will praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.


We began our week with the call to Praise that Psalm 150 invites you and me to experience in our lives. Engaging in Praise has its foundation firmly based on who God is.

In C.S. Lewis' wonderful book Reflections on the Psalms,  he writes the following, 

"I have never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise. … The world rings with praise—lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising their countryside. … I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? … The psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about.

… I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly … upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch."

Talking about God isn’t meant to feel forced, it grows naturally out of worship. When you’re genuinely enjoying who God is, sharing about Him just kind of happens, like pointing out an amazing sunset or telling a friend about a great book you love.

The more you notice God’s beauty, love, power, and mercy in your life, the more you’ll want to talk about Him. That’s the kind of response Psalm 71 points us toward. Take your time with it, read it slowly and notice all the reasons the psalmist gives for praising God.

And as you do, let it lead you back to the hope we have in Jesus, His life, His death, and His resurrection.

GO AHEAD .... MAKE SOME NOISE!!

APRIL 27,  2026

Psalm 150

1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

Praise the LORD! Where?

“...in his sanctuary.” But don’t picture just a church building. God’s “sanctuary” shows up wherever you notice Him. It might be in your backyard looking up at the sky, walking along the river, or on a day trip to Point Pelee National Park. It can be while you’ve got music on doing chores, sitting quietly with a cup of coffee, or gathered with others in worship. Basically, wherever your heart becomes aware of God—that’s the place to praise.

Praise the LORD! Why?

“...for his mighty deeds, according to his surpassing greatness!” In other words—because God has been good, and still is. Think about it: rain that helps things grow, a beautiful sunrise, the sound of a newborn baby, the endless questions kids ask as they figure out the world. Think about healing that comes through doctors and nurses, or comfort that shows up through a friend at just the right time. God’s goodness is everywhere once you start paying attention.

Praise the LORD! How?

Honestly? Don’t hold back. Make some noise. Sing, clap, play music—whatever you’ve got. Praise isn’t meant to be stiff or quiet all the time. It’s a real, joyful response to a real, living God. So let it show.

Praise the LORD! Who?

“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!” If you’re breathing, you’re included. Every breath is a reminder that life is a gift. So today, take a moment to notice that—and let your life become part of the praise. Not just in what you say, but in how you live, how you treat people, how you give thanks.

Let’s Pray

God, help us slow down today. Help us actually notice what’s around us—the good, the beautiful, the everyday gifts we usually miss. Remind us to breathe, to look, to listen. And then move us to respond—with joy, with gratitude, with the way we live. Let our whole lives point back to you.
Amen.

The Sound of Wind — The Spirit Is Moving

April 24, 2026

Acts 2:1–2

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

There are times when we hear the wind long before we feel it. It gentley whispers through the branches, swirls across fields, and carries a strength you can’t hold or contain. We never see the wind, we only witness what it touches. Trees sway. Dust lifts. The air moves around us.

When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, Scripture says it arrived with a sound “like the blowing of a violent wind.” Not a soft breeze. Not a quiet suggestion. A force that could not be ignored. God was beginning something new, something that would reshape lives. As we read through Acts 2, we note that the wind of the Spirit takes the disciples' fear and replaces it with courage. Silence behind locked doors would break out into witness. Ordinary people would become bold proclaimers of the gospel.

And the Spirit still moves like that today.

We may not see the Spirit directly, but we see the evidence. Hearts soften. Clarity comes. A burden lifts. A door opens, or closes, with perfect timing. We experience that things, hard things, messy things, begin to shift.

I find that we so often wait for dramatic moments while missing the gentle stirrings of God's Spirit in our lives, missing the quiet ways God is already at work. We long for a sense of certainty, yet the Spirit keeps drawing us toward trust instead. Like the wind, the Spirit doesn’t move according to our schedules or expectations. God's Spirit isn’t something we can manage or control, but the Spirit is someone we can follow, as our reliable guide into truth.

It is true that sometimes the Spirit rushes in like a sudden gust, disrupting what’s comfortable and pushing us into new experiences. Other times God's Spirit moves like a steady breeze, leading us, shaping us, toward repentance, or growth. In every movement of the Holy Spirit, God's work is always done for our good.

We know and learn that the Spirit is always moving. I wonder if the question for us is whether we are listening?

The same Spirit who filled that room in Acts 2 is present with us now, guiding, prompting, empowering.

Listen for the wind. Watch for what is shifting. Be ready to move when the Spirit says move.

Let's Pray

Holy Spirit, help me trust that You are working in ways I cannot yet see. Stir what has grown still within me, and lead me into the life You are calling me to. Amen.

The Sound of Rain

 April 23, 2026

Joel 2:23–24

Be glad, people of Zion,
    rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given you the autumn rains
    because he is faithful.
He sends you abundant showers,
    both autumn and spring rains, as before.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
    the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

There’s a particular sound of rain, maybe not as beautiful to the ear as the Birdsong, we talked about yesterday, especially if it leads to costly flooding. Of course, the sound of rain is wonderful to hear after a long drought. Such rain is welcomed isn't it? The rain starts with a quiet pitter patter, soft taps on our windows and the ground, and then, as we have experienced in our area lately, the rain comes down with a heavy steady rhythm, this moisture sinks into the ground. Spring rain awakens the seeds in the darkness of the earth below, and prepares the soil for life to return.

I see this as the way that God’s renewal works in our hearts and souls. Sometimes we live through seasons that feel dry and drought like, where prayers seem to go unanswered, joy feels distant, waiting for hope to be fulfilled is exhausting. Moments like these makes growth seem impossible.

Today our Scripture assures us that God remembers us and sends the rains of his Spirit to restore and to bring life where there has seemed to be none.

Joel’s promise goes beyond God's faithful provision and promise of restoration: Hear the words again, “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.” In other words, Nothing is wasted. Haven't you found that times when you felt empty, times that seemed lost and gone forever, opportunities that you felt had slipped away, and God takes them and redeems them and transforms them into something new and fruitful, and beautiful.

Let's Pray

Lord, help me see the small signs of Your work and trust in Your timing. Let Your Spirit pour down like rain, bringing new growth and fresh beginnings. Amen.

The Sound of Birds Singing

April 22, 2026

Song of Solomon 2:11–12

“See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.”

I was up early this morning, 4:00 am out to an appointment at 4:30 am. I heard something that lifted my spirit. It wasn't a new sound, it was a familiar sound but one that I haven't paused to listen to so far this Spring. The sound I heard was the "birdsong".

There is something beautiful about the sound of birds in the spring. After months of silence, bare trees, cold winds, and long nights, their song breaks through. For me, it is one of the first signs that winter has loosened its grip. Before the leaves fully return, before the warmth settles in, there is music.

Birdsong is not just background noise; I believe it is an announcement.  Winter does not last forever.

The Scripture from Song of Solomon paints this same picture. It speaks of a turning point, a shift from barrenness to beauty, from silence to song. “The season of singing has come.” Not might come. Not could come. Has come. God declares it as a reality, even when the ground is just beginning to thaw.

Many of us know what it feels like to live through a kind of winter. Not a season marked by snow and ice, but one marked by heaviness, grief, waiting, or silence. There are times when joy feels distant, like something we remember but cannot quite reach. Prayers feel quiet. Hope feels thin. And we begin to wonder if the song will ever return.

But just as surely as the birds return each spring, God restores joy in His time.

Someone put it like this: "the birds don’t force the season to change. They respond to it. When the conditions are right, when the earth begins to awaken, they begin to sing." I wonder if joy is not like that, we do not create joy by our effort alone. Joy  is something God renews within us. This Joy, it often begins quietly, almost unnoticed, like the my first notice of the birdsong at dawn today.

So, maybe our “song” doesn’t come back all at once. Maybe it returns as a small sense of peace where there was once fear, worry or anxiety. Maybe it shows up as a renewed desire to pray, to hope, to engage again with life. Maybe it is simply the strength to take the next step.

That is still a song.

God does not rush seasons, but He is always faithful within them. Winter has its purpose, but it is never the final word. The same God who allows the quiet also brings the music back.

So listen carefully.

What is stirring in your heart right now?
What small note of hope, gratitude, or peace is beginning to rise again?

That may be the beginning of your song returning.

Let's Pray

Lord, You are the One who brings seasons of renewal. When my heart feels quiet and worn, remind me that winter does not last forever. Help me to notice the small songs You are placing back into my life. Teach me to trust Your timing and to receive Your joy again. Amen.

It Was Always There: Fulfillment in Christ

 April 21, 2026

John 20:19–22

¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

 

Luke 24:1–12

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.

 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

 

What was always there is now fully revealed.

From the very beginning, God has been planting hints, little whispers of resurrection woven into his  story long before anyone saw Jesus' empty tomb.

In Genesis, God bends down to dust and breathes life into humanity. In the prophets, God promises that dry bones will rise. In the story of Abraham, a beloved son walks up a mountain carrying wood on his back. In the psalms, the Holy One will not be abandoned to the grave. In Israel’s deep longing for redemption, we see that hope kept shining even in the darkest places.

It was always there.

And now, in the garden outside a borrowed tomb, it bursts into full daylight.

Jesus rises, not as a symbol, not as a spiritual idea, but in flesh and bone. He stands among His disciples, speaks peace over their fear, and breathes on them. John wants us to hear the echo: Genesis 2:7. The God who once breathed life into dust now breathes new creation into His people.

Luke shows us the women at the tomb, faithful, grieving, and confused, becoming the first witnesses of the world’s turning point. The angels’ question is striking,  “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen.”

From dust to deep waters, from dry bones to the beloved son, from prophetic promises to their fulfillment, everything comes together in Jesus' resurrection. All the threads we have been looking at come together into one, all the shadows give way to a new reality, and every hope finds its Yes in Christ.

And now His life becomes ours.

He breathes His Spirit into fearful disciples. He breathes courage into weary hearts. He breathes hope into places we thought were permanently sealed off. He breathes resurrection into us.

The life that was always promised is now fully revealed—and fully offered. Thanks be to God!!

Let's Pray

Risen Jesus, breathe Your life into me. Let Your resurrection reshape my fears, my habits, my desires, and my future. Help me live as someone made new by Your victory over death. Amen.

 

The Promise of Resurrection

April 17, 2026 

Our Week in Review

Across the Old Testament, resurrection is not a sudden idea that appears at the empty tomb—it is a thread woven quietly, steadily, and faithfully through the story of God and His people. From creation’s breath in the dust, to Jonah rising from the deep, to visions of dry bones standing again, Scripture whispers—and sometimes boldly declares—that God is the God who brings life out of death. What is revealed fully in Christ is anticipated all along: it was always there.

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Psalm 16:10

¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

Isaiah 53

53 Who has believed our message
    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was punished.
⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
    and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
¹¹ After he has suffered,
    he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.

 Daniel 12:2

2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

 

One of the things we notice in reading the Old Testament is that as God’s people worshiped, prayed, and listened to the voice of God through the prophets, something significant began to develop, a deepening, widening hope that death would not have the final word.

In the Psalms, we hear the voice of trust rising above the fear of the grave:
“you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful [some translations say HOLY] one see decay. (Psalm 16:10) This is more than just poetic comfort, or reassurance. It is a confidence that is rooted in the character of God, a God who does not forsake who He loves, even in death.

Then as we read on in the Old Testament, the prophets begin to speak with even greater clarity on this theme of resurrection and new life.

Above we read a very crucial text from Isaiah about the Suffering Servant who is crushed, buried, and counted among the dead, yet somehow, impossibly, “He will see the light of life” (Isaiah 53). Death is real, suffering is severe, but the story does not end in the tomb. There is life beyond it, victory through it.

And by the time we reach Daniel, the hope becomes unmistakably explicit:
“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake…” (Daniel 12:2).
Not just symbolic renewal. Not just nationalistic restoration. But awakening to life after death.

What we discover in these and other readings, like the others we have looked at this week is this theme of resurrection was not just some scattered ideas or wishful thinking. This teaching fit together as part of a unified message, each piece adding clarity to a hope that deepened across generations. Little by little, the people of God were being formed to trust that His power does not stop at death but reaches even into the grave.

Of course, we recognize that this hope did not remove suffering. It did not prevent exile, loss, or mourning. But it did reframe these experiences. Death was no longer the end of the story, there was to be a chapter God Himself would one day write, giving these Old Testament hopes and longings their place of fulfillment.

So, the faithful learned to hope, not merely for relief, not just for survival, but for restoration. For life again. For a future where what was lost would be made new.

And that kind of hope changes everything.

It steadies the heart in grief.
It gives courage in suffering.
It plants quiet confidence in seasons that feel like silence, burial, and dust.

Because if God has promised life beyond death, then even the darkest moment is not the final one.

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Reflect

Where in your life do you need to trust that God of Resurrection and New Life is still writing the story beyond what feels like an ending?

Which of these promises, Psalm, Isaiah, or Daniel, speaks most deeply to your present season, and why?

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Let's Pray

God of promise,
You have spoken life into places that seem beyond hope.
Anchor my heart in Your Word and teach me to live with resurrection hope,
confident that You will bring life again.
Amen.