Isaiah 40:28-31 {Prayer} Many of us have come to love the Christmas carol “O Holy Night.” First written in 1843 by a French poet, the lyrics were translated into English only a few years later by an American pastor. The carol’s initial popularity is often traced to its third stanza which is cherished by…
Genesis 12:2 {Prayer} Imagine that two of your friends are attending the Blues hockey game at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The game is being televised and you’re watching it at home. You know your friends are there and wonder if by chance you might spot them somewhere near the Blues bench…
John 1:14a {Prayer} August 24, 2006. That’s when it all happened. That’s when things went south. That’s when the bottom fell out and that’s when everything came completely undone. August 24, 2006. On March 24, 1930 things had begun with so much joy and excitement. There were fireworks. There was this great flourish…
John 1:14b {Prayer} “We have seen his glory.” Five simple words. These five words will change our life. These five words will change our life, forever. “We have seen his glory.” For fifty-one years, Bob Edens was blind. Bob couldn’t see a darn thing. His world was a black hole. But Bob Edens…
John 1:12b {Prayer} Between 1854 and 1929, over 200,000 orphans in cities like New York, Boston, and Philly were placed on trains and shipped west across the United States. These trains would periodically stop for viewings. Yes, viewings. Children would be lined up like cattle at an auction. Potential parents would ask questions, evaluate…
John 1:6-9, 15 {Prayer} Nadin Khoury was 13 years old, 5 foot 2 and weighed, soaking wet, 100 pounds. Nadin’s mom had lost her job as a hotel maid and needed work. She moved her family from Minneapolis to Philadelphia. In 2000, the family had escaped war-torn Liberia in West Africa. Nadin Khoury, then,…
John 1:1-5 {Prayer} “You have my word!” When you hear those four little words, it’s easy to become skeptical. And why is that? I think it’s because we live in a world of broken promises, a world filled with empty vows, a world where pledges are made only to be forgotten. Assurances are given…
Micah 6:1-8 {Prayer} This is a picture of the oldest standing church in the world. It’s called the Church of the Nativity and it’s located in the little town of Bethlehem. The church was built in the fourth century AD over the site where Jesus, whose birth we just celebrated, was born. Unlike…
Micah 5:2-4 {Prayer} You know, if NBC, CNN and Fox News had been around in 1809, all of their broadcasts would have originated from Austria. Now why Austria? Well, because that’s where things were really happening. Napoleon was sweeping through Austria like a hot knife through butter. Napoleon Bonaparte was making history and it…
Matthew 1:18-25 {Prayer} One of the greatest basketball players of all time once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” If Michael Jordan never shot the basketball as a kid, if he didn’t spend countless hours practicing his basketball skills … he would just be a normal person. However, Jordan worked…