September
Father, the cross is foolishness to the world but power to me. What looked like shameful defeat was actually glorious victory. What seemed like weakness was actually strength. What appeared foolish was actually wisdom. You work through what the world rejects - weakness, suffering, sacrific
September
Today the church celebrates Holy Cross Day, also called the Exaltation of the Cross. The feast commemorates two events: the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on September 14, 335, and the recovery of the True Cross from Persian captivity in 628. Both events celebr
September
Jesus became obedient to death—even death on a cross! The cross wasn't Plan B or tragic accident. It was the path Jesus chose through obedience. He could have called angels to rescue Him, could have come down from the cross, could have avoided the whole thing. He didn't. He stayed faithful
September
Father, I'm thirteen days into September and I've already failed commitments I made, abandoned disciplines I intended to keep, quit things I said I'd continue. The temptation is to stay quit - to let early failure justify complete abandonment, to wait for better timing, to start fresh next
September
You're almost two weeks into September. Maybe you started this month with good intentions - spiritual disciplines to maintain, goals to accomplish, commitments to keep. How's that going? If you're like most people, some of those intentions have already been compromised, some goals abandone
September
You don't have a high priest unable to empathize with your weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in every way, just as you are—yet without sin. Jesus understands your struggles from experience, not theory. He faced what you face. He knows what you're going through. Come to Him confident
September
Father, yesterday we remembered catastrophe. Today we remember that for many, yesterday's grief is still today's reality. Twenty-five years later, some still miss those they lost. Their grief might be less raw, but it's not gone. Anniversaries hurt. Ordinary moments trigger memories. Life
September
Yesterday we remembered September 11, 2001 - the day 2,977 people died in terrorist attacks. Today is September 12 - the day after, when survivors woke to a world forever changed. Families began identifying bodies. First responders searched rubble for survivors. The nation tried processing
September
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. The firefighters who climbed those towers yesterday, the passengers who stormed that cockpit - they showed you what love looks like. Sacrificial, costly, putting others first. That's the kind of love I have for yo
September
Father, twenty-five years ago today, evil manifested in horrific ways. Nearly three thousand people died - going to work, boarding planes, trying to save others. They were mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, friends and strangers. The loss still echoes. The pain still lingers. We reme
September
Twenty-five years ago today, on September 11, 2001, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners and turned them into weapons. At 8:46 AM, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Seventeen minutes later, United Airlines
September
I am close to the brokenhearted and save those who are crushed in spirit. When grief overwhelms you, I'm not distant - I'm near. When your spirit is crushed, I don't abandon you - I save you. Your pain doesn't push Me away. It draws My compassion.