Darkness closes in upon the highest religious officials, their vision squeezed into the tiny, dimly lit room of their own self-interest. So is the atmosphere after the raising of Lazarus from the dead as we begin the Friday Gospels of John in Lent this year. The plot to kill Jesus is fashioned. The Scribes and Pharisees are about to succumb to the temptations of power and control, just as did their ancestors in the desert—the same desert temptations that Jesus overcame.

John the Evangelist fills the account with ironic verses, such as verse 50. God is about to use the most hideous of evil plots as a plot to glory. From the greatest evil will rise the greatest good—the resurrection.

John 11:45–57

Create your own Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: Dispersed gathered into one v. 52

Fridays are dedicated to the Gospels.
In Lent and Easter we read the Gospel of John.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.

Weaving through Thursdays of Lent are the five powerful chapters in the letter of James. Almost every verse stands alone as worthy to be written and put in a prominent place for you to see. Return to these verses throughout the day as you walk through its hours. With each one, James will give you a nugget of wisdom that you will want to take with you for the journey from Lent to Easter, from struggle to freedom, from death to life.

This theme courses through the book: temptations bring strength to the inner life. Such was the case for Jesus, recalling last Sunday’s Gospel. Jesus won the victory over temptation where the children of Israel failed. Now he gathers all your struggles into his own, as he walks with you through the coming journey to victory.

James 1

Find out all about Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: Quick to listen, slow to speak v. 19

Thursdays are dedicated to the letters of Paul, other letters,
the Book of Acts, and the Book of Revelation.
In the season of Lent this year we read the Letter of James, and 1 Corinthians 14-15.

For all the Firestarters in the original version, I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these Firestarters with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.

Tap here for a video meditation on Psalm 130.

Whether you hit bottom or quietly rest at the base of your soul, there is no other place than your depths for crying out to the Lord. From there the psalmist stretches and tunes himself to God whom he trusts will hear him. Feel peace as the psalmist becomes fully aware that no sin or iniquity on his part will block God’s ears from hearing, or God’s heart from responding.

This is the eleventh of fifteen Songs of Ascent, chanted as Jews in joyous pilgrimage would go up to Jerusalem three times a year for Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. Journey with Jesus from the desert to Jerusalem— from the wilderness where John the Baptist made his cries of repentance, to the heights of Calvary and death; from desert emptiness, to city strife. From there, the empty depths of the tomb will stretch to resurrection and ascended life for you and me.

Psalm 130

What are Bible Breaths? Learn More
Example: My soul waiting for the Lord v. 6

During Lent each year we read a third of the fifteen “Songs of Ascent”–
Psalms 120 to 134. This being year C, we read the final third: Psalms 130 to 134.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information