The Dusty Messiah

This...is what most compels us to follow the Man from Nazareth...We don't recognize him as Lord because he's the bearer of timeless, practical truths, or the beautiful lynchpin on which our complex theologies rest, or the mystical Divine who perplexes everyone but us. We call Jesus Lord because only the true God would stoop low enough to wander dusty Nazarene farms, eat broiled fish by the Sea of Galilee, and ascend the Temple Mount as one Jewish pilgrim among many—all to raise us up higher than the top of Mount Zion.

- Katelyn Beaty in "The Dusty Messiah."

Hope - Gay Thurman

While taping a "Word and Spirit" telecast today, my special guest, Gay Thurman, said, "Hope is like a beautifully wrapped package under the tree. I have not opened it yet, but because I know who it is from, I know it will be something good." 

Her statement reminds me of what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 5:5, "...and hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us..."