TODAY’S SPECIAL: Revelation 22:12-21 TO CHEW ON: "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.." Revelation 22:17 “Come!” What a welcome word to hear when we’re homesick. What a comforting word to hear when we’re lonely. What a delicious word to hear when we’re hungry or thirsty. "Let everyone who is thirsty, Come" Designed by David Hetland (stained glass window Trinity Lutheran Church, Jamestown, North Dakota.) The book of Revelation ends with this arms-wide-op ..read more

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Revelation 20:7-15 TO CHEW ON: "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Revelation 20:10 When you read a book, do you ever skip to the end, to see how it turns out? Today’s reading is the place we’d go to see how the story of the Bible, the story of the fight between God and Satan, ends. "The Fall" by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Published 1907 Throughout time Satan has tried every trick to win. He started out by lying to Ev ..read more

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Revelation 6:9 -17 TO CHEW ON: "For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?" Revelation 6:17 Have you ever read an exciting book where the closer you came to the end, the more bad things happened? You looked at how few pages were left and wondered, how would the author ever straighten this out! In a way John’s vision in Revelation is like that. John saw more and more bad things as more seals were opened. In the fifth seal, John heard the voices of people who had been killed for believing in God (martyrs). They asked God, how long until He would puni ..read more

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Revelation 6:1-8 TO CHEW ON: "I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say, in a voice like thunder, 'Come!'" Revelation 6:1 If you get a letter in the mail, the untorn envelope and the stuck-tight flap tell you no one has opened the letter. In Bible times, scroll letters were sealed with clay or wax. This clay or wax had the imprint of the sender’s seal - an impression of his ring or special stamp. This seal told the person who got the letter it was from the person who had stamped it, and it had not been opene ..read more

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Revelation 4:1-11 TO CHEW ON: "Day and night they never stop saying, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.'” Revelation 4:8 Have you ever seen an angel? Have you seen Jesus? God? Heaven? Most of us haven’t. But God gave John a peek inside heaven. As we read his description, we get the feeling heaven is so incredibly magnificent, John had a hard time finding words to describe it. An Angel comes to Mary - Artist unknown Look in Revelation 4:1-11 and then list: 1. Some of the sounds John heard: 2. Some of the sights he saw: 3. Some of ..read more

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Revelation 1:1-11 TO CHEW ON: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.... On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: 'Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches...'” Revelation 1: 1, 10-11 Where would you go to find out what will happen tomorrow? Today’s newspaper? The six o'clock news? The internet? Of course we know none of these places will tell us. Only God knows what will h ..read more

This is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. May your Christmas be a day full of peace and joy! Here is a Christmas story for you to read: My Messiah I shiver under my goat hair cloak. It’s cold at night on the hills outside Bethlehem. I wish I were at home in bed. But a few weeks ago my father said, "Joel, you're 12. You need to learn the night watch." And so here I am, cold and sleepy, but I have to stay awake because it’s my turn to watch the sheep. I look over at the flock, an island of wooly pebbles. Beside me, father snores a soft rhythm. Nearby, Abiram and Kohar, still awake, ta ..read more

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Jude 17 - 25 TO CHEW ON: "In the last time there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires...But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit." Jude 18b, 20 Have you ever met a scoffer? That’s someone who mocks or jeers you for who you are, what you are doing, or what you believe in. How many of these Bible scoffers can you name? (Need help? See the names of Bible scoffers and references below.) 1. “Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks...Come here and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the b ..read more

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 3 John 1-14 TO CHEW ON: "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." 3 John 2 When you hear the word “blessing” what do you think of? Saying a prayer over food before you eat? The pastor praying a benediction at the end of a church service? You’re right - a blessing is these things, and more too. Any time we ask for God’s favor or declare it over someone, we speak a blessing. Look up the verses, below, to see what the Bible says about blessing and being blessed, then fill in the missing word ..read more

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 John 1-13 TO CHEW ON: "I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love." 2 John 5-6 To “walk in love” means different things to different people. To some it means having a crush on a special person. To others it means having a best friend who is always there for you. To still others it means constant reminders of someone’s love in the form of gifts and nice things. But really loving each other is not nearly as soft and fuzzy as the things above would mak ..read more