“Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.” Psalm 150:6 KJV What a way to end an incredible journey. If you have been reading through the Psalms you have learned that God is always with us and always for us. He is our protector. He is our provider. He is our comforter. He is our guide. He is our friend. He is ever present. He is all powerful. He is all loving. He is forever forgiving. He is … amazing. As you read this final psalm, read it on your

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” Psalm 139:7-8 KJV Over the years I have been taught these verses as if they are some sort of warning. You know, “God sees all that you do, so you better be good.” They are uttered and used to make God like Santa God. You know, “he sees you when you’re sleeping and he knows when you're awake . . . so

Think back through your life. Can you remember some (I doubt you can recall them all!) of the times when God did great things? Things too wonderful for it to have been anything else but God. For me, I can remember the phone call from my friend Jim. He was serving in Iraq at the time. My wife and I were going through a difficult time where we had to make some hard decisions. As we were going to bed I told her, “What we need is for Brother Jim to call and tell us what to d

“If you kept track of sins, Lord - my Lord, who would stand a chance? But forgiveness is with you - that's why you are honored.” Psalm 130:3-4 CEB Have you ever stopped to take a good hard look at yourself in the mirror? What do you see? Do you see the you that you want others to see? Or do you see the real you? You know, the you that has done all those things you wish you could forget. The bad, and the “not-so-bad” things. The you who did not do what you wish you had, and

I love psalm 121. It is a psalm I often turn to. The question and answer of verses 1 and 2 bring me so much peace. “I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2 CEB) My help comes from the Lord. You know, we are one week away from celebrating Christmas. So many people say we need to remember Christ and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. Then, we focus on his birth. W

“I have a dream!” “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!” "Four score and seven years ago….” “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Throughout history their have been some great words spoken. Words that can encourage us. Words that can make us laugh. Words that can make us cry. Words are powerful. They have the ability to change the course of history. One well-worded sentence in a much-needed time can change everything. But no word that we can come up with can ha

I was watching an old sitcom the other day. In this particular show one of the characters is a wannabe actor who has a part in a soap opera. He was nominated for a “Soapy” award. He was so excited. All through the episode not just that character, but all the characters kept practicing their acceptance speech for receiving awards for the “great things” they had done. It was funny. Truth is though, it was all too real. We love to get the praise of men. Be honest, when so

Songs have great power. Just the beginning of a song can bring back a memory that perhaps you have not thought about for a long time. A song has the power to make you feel strong, happy, sad, or angry. Songs call us together, and separate those of different persuasions. Songs have the power to rally our hearts to do great things. And songs have the power to help us remember and rest in the greatness of God. Perhaps that is why our psalms for today are focused on our singing

Sing for joy to God our strength; shout in triumph to the God of Jacob. Lift up a song — play the tambourine, the melodious lyre, and the harp. Blow the horn on the day of our feasts during the new moon and during the full moon. For this is a statute for Israel, a judgment of the God of Jacob. He set it up as an ordinance for Joseph when He went throughout the land of Egypt. Psalm 81:1-5 HCSB It is no secret that I love Christmas music. In fact, as I read and write this

“Count your blessings name them one by one; Count your many blessings see what God hath done!” Whenever I hear that old hymn my mind races back to my first ministry in Novelty, MO. I can still hear Jim and Beth leading the singing. That was one song we sang often. Why? Because it is a great reminder that we should never forget the wonderful things that God “hath” done for us. ​Today, we sing a song called “10,000 Reasons.” The purpose of this modern hymn is the same. Re