It was an echo. A wave of emotion hit them, just like as if it was yesterday. Boom. They were right back there, experiencing the same thoughts and feelings. Sitting on that beach. Warm summer sun. Joyful sounds of children playing in the surf. Wafts of barbequed sausages coming from […]
Psalm 23
12 posts
To read the Bible, it can feel overwhelming. What do I do? I want to read the Bible and grow, but where do I start? I was raised in a church tradition that highly valued reading the Bible. People were encouraged to read their Bible every day, go to Bible […]
In short: Psalm 23’s “table” isn’t a dinner table — it likely pictures a “tableland,” an elevated, predator-free plateau a shepherd clears in advance so his flock can graze safely. The verse is a picture of God’s providence: preparing what we need before we even arrive at our need, even […]
The soul can get completely drained, but what restores the soul? What can bring it back to life? Three things: people, places, and practices. Quick answer: Psalm 23 says the Shepherd “restores my soul.” In everyday life, that restoration usually comes through three P’s: life-giving people, restorative places, and soul-filling […]
We often question ‘Am I on the right path’ but learning to hear the shepherd’s voice gives us an assurance to know and trust the good shepherd. I want certainty. I like to feel secure knowing that I have made the right choices, but there is always an invitation to […]
Quick answer: When someone asks “can you pray for me?”, the most honest response is to pray using a template of intimacy rather than guessing at vague words. Praying through the Lord’s Prayer or Psalm 23 — inserting the person’s name — gives your intercession depth and structure, even when […]
Your pain is legitimate, and second-place prayers reveal the need, but first-place prayers must always come first, so we pray a simple prayer. Simple sounds easy. Requiring little effort. First place. It’s where we put the best, second-place things go behind first-place things. There is an order—first place, then […]
Our brains can be so busy that it can feel like a concussion, but we can help the brain recover by finding some still waters to rest next by. When I wrote the first draft of this post, I was sitting next to a small stream. There wasn’t much water […]
Agoraphobia had gripped Patsy Clairmont to the point where all she could manage was to make it to her neighborhood grocery store and safely home again. With grunt work and grace, Patsy discovered recovery. She shares with us some of her story. I was a mopey child, a sad teenager, […]
The fuel gauge on this soul wasn’t on E for Enough, it was on E for Empty and Exhausted. How do we restore the soul? Life is exhausting at times. Demands come from everywhere. Things start to fall apart and you’re that little less patient. Anxious and depressive thoughts gain […]