Thinking through the Scriptures
Simple, insightful, and inspirational thoughts from Scripture, captured in short videos.
15/08/2024
WHEN COURAGE CRASHES
Peter was serious about his loyalty to the Lord and his willingness to die for Him. He loved his Master and believed He was the Messiah. He may not have been a trained fighter, but he was a tough fisherman, used to hard work and danger on the sea.
So the stinging rebuke from the Master must have confused him a lot.
What he could not foresee was how the crisis would come. He had the courage to fight, but when the battle came, it was not like he had expected. The Lord told him to put up his sword at the very moment it seemed most needed!
He was not prepared for that.
And so it is many times with us. We may think ourselves strong and ready to handle the challenges of faith until the Lord allows us to be hit with a total surprise. This shocking jolt can be so unnerving that our usual confidence comes crashing down.
May the Lord help us anchor our faith in Him every day, so we are more ready for those unexpected storms that come our way.
(Matthew 7:24-25/Mark 14:27-31)
06/08/2024
It isn’t so much that the Lord provides everything I need.
HE IS everything I need.
Everything I need A devotional on Psalm 23:1
29/07/2024
How to wait on the Lord A devotional thought from Psalm 27:14
25/07/2024
Goodbye, Kaleb!
Kaleb has interned her since the middle of June and has served faithfullly in many areas of the ministry: children's activities, junios, youth, young adults, the choir and special music, the Calvary mission team, bunches of work at Aierdi, etc... Thank you, Kaleb! May the Lord bless you as you head to Austria and then back to BJU in a few weeks.
Goodbye, Kaleb! Kaleb has interned her since the middle of June and has served faithfullly in many areas of the ministry: children's activities, junios, youth, young adults,...
24/07/2024
Madre mía, what a trip to the airport!
And, if anyone is wondering why I didn’t know about the overabundance of luggage😄…
On the day we picked them up, I loaded our van in the regular parking lot and Rob and the others loaded theirs in the rental section. 🙉I had no idea they had come so over-stuffed in that van!😅🙈
Calvary team last day! July 24, 2024
23/07/2024
An exquisite Basque meal on the last day!
Calvary team day7 (A Spanish meal on the last day) In the morning we talked about WHAT ARE YOU and shared some thoughts on what it means to be created in the image of God; for lunch, we went to the Salbatoreh...
22/07/2024
Work in the morning, visiting Donosti in the evening
Calvary team day6 (morning work, Donosti tour) After a few hours of work and then lunch, we all headed to the beautiful capital city of Donosti.
21/07/2024
What a fantastic morning service!
Calvary team day5 (Wonderful service, smores!) The service this morning was so special, it was a delight to sing praises to the Lord of heaven with such a congregation! July 21, 2024
20/07/2024
Calvary team day4 (Arranoitz hike and chat session) We hoped to do the larger hike to the 5000ft Aitzgorri but the clouds were too low. We ended up climbing the Arranoitz, behind the farmhouse, but we couldn't...
19/07/2024
Painting the Seaport church and taking a lovely walk by the Pasajes waterway.
Calvary team day3 (painting Seaport church & walk) July 19, 2024
18/07/2024
Olite Castle & Pamplona's running of the bulls
Calvary team day2 (Olite castle & Pamplona) July 18, 2024
17/07/2024
16/07/2024
12/07/2024
THE GIFTED L***R
Uzziah became king as a teenager and served Judah well for nearly 50 years. His friend and mentor was the prophet Zechariah and through the years Uzziah established a reputation as a godly and powerful leader. He was universally victorious against the surrounding enemies and created military equipment that helped Judah become the dominant nation in the region. He was gifted in many ways, and being a man who loved the soil, he used his talents to develop agriculture up and down the valleys and hills of the land.
However, deep inside the man, and away from public knowledge, a virus started invading his heart. When this poison reached the surface and expressed itself in behavior, Uzziah lost all control and his godly reputation crashed. He died a l***r in isolation.
All too often it happens that men start well but end poorly. Sometimes it is the very success that cuts them down. Growth, popularity, and a colorful personality can silently and inexorably create a monster inside. Solomon tells us to guard our hearts above all else; his warning is critical. May the Lord help us take notice.
To ignore or despise the warning is a sign that we are already close to the point of no return.
(2 Chronicles 26/Proverbs 4:23)
THE SWALLOW AND THE FISHERMAN
It was a cool Sunday morning as I walked toward the alley where the garage was. The river splashed over the rocks and down the valley on my left. Up ahead, a row of garages stretched away under a five-story building.
I thought about the message prepared for the main service. The text was from John 3, on Nicodemus, and I marveled again at the masterpiece written so long ago by that hard-working fisherman from Galilee.
With hardly a whisper, the swallow flew past me, a few feet from my ear. It swooped to about four inches above the graveled surface and shot straight toward the steep ramp at the other end of the garages. Just before the incline, it veered up and away with the grace and agility of a pro.
Though the size of a swallow’s brain is no bigger than a cherry, God has given him the skill of a flying acrobat. The little bird may be unable to read, write, or talk, but he can put on a phenomenal aerial show.
John had grown up a tough, weather-beaten boatsman, learning the ways of the sea from his father and joining the family fishing business. As a young lad, his life was full of nets, oars, sails, and fish. There hadn’t been much occasion or time for formal education. He didn’t expect to do anything but catch Tilapia for the rest of his life. Then the Teacher from Nazareth asked him to join his itinerant ministry, and he accepted the challenge.
He had no idea what was coming.
Many years later he would write a book. Yes! He, the uneducated fisherman would produce a manuscript that was a literary gem, almost without rival, standing tall among the eternal writings of God.
We should not be surprised.
His Lord was the same as the swallow’s.
AB
THE FIRST PROPHET
Who was the first prophet? For those who might never have considered the question, the answer may surprise you (and no, it isn’t crucial to life!).
The first to come to mind could be Samuel. After all, the title was specifically assigned to him, and he was the one who transitioned Israel from the era of the judges to one of the prophets (1 Sam. 3:20). But we must recall that centuries before, God also called Moses a prophet (Deut 34:10-12). However, suppose we flip the pages back even further. In that case, we find that Abraham should be let into the group (Gen. 20:7). Then, according to Jude, before Abraham, Enoch prophesied profusely about the coming of the Lord (v. 14).
Finally, we have to go back to the earliest of times, to Abel, whom we find at the head of Jesus’ list of martyred prophets (Luke 11:50-51).
Check out THE WONDER OF PROPHECY: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJXGKZ3H
01/06/2024
If you have time over the weekend, here is the first official GRACE STORIES video. It is a delightful conversation with Javi and Mari about a story that started 34 years ago.
Grace stories: Javi and Mari (en español también) This is the first official GRACE STORIES video. It will be a collection of testimonies of God's wonderful grace in the transforming of hopeless lives into ho...
FULFILLED, PENDING, OR BOTH?
There are fulfilled prophecies, pending prophecies, and prophecies that, already fulfilled, are yet still pending.
This sounds a bit crazy until you think it through. Biblical prophecy is unique and mysterious, and almost impossible to decipher exactly ahead of time. For one thing, the promises of God can have multiple fulfillments, sometimes spanning centuries, and the Lord rarely gave any hints that this was the case.
In the Pentateuch, God promises to scatter Israel if and when they sin, but who would have thought this would happen at least three times in eight centuries? And then, Isaiah’s prophecy of the virgin birth, with his perfect choice of words, was fulfilled twice, in events 700 years apart.
Check out THE WONDER OF PROPHECY at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJXGKZ3H
03/03/2024
Twisted Imagination (Romans 1:21) In the second study on human imagination, we look at how everything got horribly messed up when sin entered into the picture. That most awesome of gifts, whi...
21/02/2024
Summary of an excellent conference
Montecito conference summary What an unforgettable week with the wonderful Montecito BC congregation!
20/02/2024
Post-conference greeting from the Salazar home The evening after the Montecito conference we had supper with Pastor & Mrs. Salazar, Juan and Teté, and Steve and Andrea
10/02/2024
Imagine a little yellow house with gray trim up against a thick pine forest. From a gate in the white fence out front, a sidewalk lined with red tulips curves its way through the fresh-cut lawn. Four wide steps then lead up to a large oak door, with an elegant, diamond-shaped, glass panel. On the right is a large window where a German shepherd is looking from between the drapes, eagerly watching you approach.
If you followed that paragraph closely, you created an image, though not a physical one.
That is because you are a creator.
The infinite Creator made us in His image and gave us the gift of imagination. Of course, it would take a lot of time and resources to turn our mental creation into a physical reality. God did not give us the level of authority to do what He can do, that is, to think and create in the same effortless action. But the ability He did give us is amazing indeed.
Beyond imagination (Ephesians 3:20-21) (SS #5) Simple, short, and practical thoughts from Scripture. In a dark and complex world, full of competing and contradicting philosophies, the timeless Word...
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN FRUSTRATED WITH GOD? The wording sounds a bit strong, doesn’t it? However, many of us would have to admit to it. Life has brought us some nasty situations that have left us confused and looking up to heaven incredulously. Perhaps we silently said, “Why on earth have You allowed this to happen?”
Fortunately, and true to the realism of the Scriptures, God reveals to us that others among the faithful have had unsettling moments like these too: Moses, Elijah, and Jeremiah are some we could mention. The important thing is to realize that the Lord means for us to learn from their examples.
If you have 15min, let’s take a look at one of these testy conversations between a man and God. The man is none other than he who became known as the father of the faith: Abraham!
https://youtu.be/d1cHAbz6NHg
18/01/2024
It is quite easy to say, I trust in the Lord, but still experience the rush of panic or frustration when suddenly our life is hit with a crisis.
Here are some thoughts on trusting God from one of the most well-known verses in the Bible.
How to Trust (Proverbs 3:5-6) (SS #3) Simple, short, and practical thoughts from Scripture. In a dark and complex world, full of competing and contradicting philosophies, the timeless Word...
10/01/2024
The Shadow of the Almighty
Shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1) Simple, short, and practical thoughts from Scripture. In a dark and complex world, full of competing and contradicting philosophies, the timeless Word will s...
25/12/2023
Emmanuel (Matthew 1:23) These devotional thoughts from single verses of Scripture are to be simple, short, and practical. In a dark and complex world, full of competing and contradi...
11/12/2023
Missionary Teen Retreat 18 Day5 We have 12 teens from 6 European countries at Aierdi for a week; Our guest speakers are Derick & Sarah Scudder; Chuck & Elizabeth Clute are here again this y...
28/03/2023
https://youtu.be/XUI8jNmwiSQ
Do you know someone who is suffering and cannot make any sense of what is happening to them? These thoughts from Job may be just what they need to find comfort and perspective. Why don't you listen to it and then share it if you think it could be of help?
WHY, LORD? (Job) LOVING GOD #7 In the first two chapters Job's world is smashed to bits and he and his wife stand in shock as the facts sink in. His first discourse can be su...