Listen to Pastor Nick read the “Firestarter” and the Psalm.

For a video meditation on Psalm 99, tap here.

Let us be lifted up to the heavens to gain a perspective on the whole world. This is where the psalmist places himself as he composes this psalm. It is a song for worshipping the Lord on the Sabbath—the day of rest, the day of the Lord, the day to place all earthly works into the light of heaven.

When we are forgetful of the mighty, yet loving place that the Lord has over us, then preoccupation with the smallness of our world begins to bind with worry and anxiety. Lift your eyes to heavenly places where Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father and worship the Lord with abandon and joy. Heaven is not a far off, distant place; it is a spiritual reality where you can be whenever you give yourself in love and worship to the Lord.

What are Bible Breaths? Learn More
Example : Gratefulness pervading me v. 3

Psalm 99

We follow a reading of the Psalms in numerical order.

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

Listen to Pastor Nick read the “Firestarter” and the Reading.

God’s act of saving grace in Jesus is prefigured in many Hebrew saints and heroes. In Advent, the humble, self-sacrificing Ruth, becomes an ancestor to Jesus. Moving soon into the Epiphany portion of this sacred season, we lift up Esther, another woman totally dedicated to the salvation of God’s people, risking her life, as did Jesus.

Jesus the King is born. Contrast him with the extravagance and pride of Ahasuerus and the vanity of Queen Vashti. God is quietly working out salvation amid the decrees of emperors and kings.

Chapter 1 sets the stage for this powerful and beautiful story of salvation. What personal reflections come to you about vanity and where the center of your life rests? Is it in any place other than the humble manger of Jesus’s birth?

Esther 1

What are Bible Breaths? Learn More…
Examples: Slow to anger, breathing peace v. 12

Tuesdays are dedicated to the Old Testament books of history
and the Hebrew “Writings.”
In the season of Advent to Epiphany this year, we read Ruth, Esther and Proverbs 7 to 9.

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

Listen to Pastor Nick read the “Firestarter” and the Reading.

Christmas for the world, is over. The presents have been bought, wrapped, given, and now lie exhausted beneath the tree. The retail world is spent after its meal of consumerism. The comparisons with past years will soon be in.

Isaiah shakes us, provoking us to fix our attention on the promises of Isaiah realized in Jesus. Exult with joy and confidence in the power verse19: ‘Those in the west shall fear the name of the Lord,  and those in the east, his glory, for he will come like a pent-up stream  that the wind of the Lord drives on.’ The final verse also bears the promise of the fullness and constancy of the Spirit’s presence in your family for endless generations to come. Do you believe this promise? Memorize it until it is so soaked into you that unspeakable joy radiates from within, giving assurance to many others of a new consumerism—consumed by his Love!

Isaiah 59:15b–21

Mondays are dedicated to the reading of the Hebrew Prophets.
In the seasons of Advent through Epiphany this year we read Isaiah 56 to 66..

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…
Example: Cloak of zeal wrapped around me v. 17

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.