A Psalm for Solitude and Silence

January 10, 2023Posted inVillage Posts
Psalm 13 1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Waiting in the silence of God can feel interminable. In seeking God after a difficult conversation, sitting for a week in the midst of illness, or experiencing a…

A Psalm for Courage

January 3, 2023Posted inVillage Posts
This is a difficult topic, because we could pick any number of psalms to find courage. Think for a second about Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Or 59:9, “You are my strength, I watch for you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can…

A Psalm for the New Year

December 28, 2022Posted inVillage Posts
Psalm 90 14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. We live in a state of dissatisfaction. We look to the next thing, the next purchase, the next drink, the next high, the next brilliant insight, the next salvation to make us whole. Especially now as we look to the new year and take stock of our lives,…

A Psalm for Christmas

December 21, 2022Posted inMark Crawford, Village Posts
Psalm 24 1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. As I sit here and rock my daughter, I am reminded again of the wonder of God’s creation. This world, even in the brokenness of sin, still reveals a beautiful, creative, and powerful God. One who would not sit…

Fruit of the Spirit: Peace (Gilchrist)

May 10, 2022Posted inVillage Posts
Fruit of the Spirit Peace Colleen and Corey Gilchrist May 8, 2022 Colleen: Prayed a blessing over all the mothers: Thank you, God for all mothers. I have nothing to offer of peace of my own; Jesus, we want your living peace that roots us that we are enough and loved. I am honored and frightened to be speaking to you about peace: we are having the imposter syndrome…

Fruit of The Spirit: Peace (Eric)

May 10, 2022Posted inVillage Posts
Fruit of the Spirit: Peace Eric Cepin May 8, 2022 Indulge me for a second and think about how you might have the Fruit of the Spirit in your life. Rom 10:9-10 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. A Roman would say with his mouth that Caesar is Lord…Paul knew,…

Wisdom of the Bible Part 1: The Holy Father, Jesus, and The Tao

March 19, 2022Posted inVillage Posts
After close to 20 years of ardent atheism (including a handful of years of atheist activism, which included a thoroughgoing opposition to religion), and after nearly 40 years of basically never believing in God, I recently converted to Christianity and was baptized. I’ll spare the details regarding how this unfolded, but those interested are welcome to check out my testimonial (first 11ish minutes).  Even before my conversion, however, I…