Mark 2:13–14 (NKJV)

Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.

As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

“When a Jew entered the customs service he was regarded as an outcast from society: he was disqualified as a judge or a witness in a court session, was excommunicated from the synagogue, and in the eyes of the community his disgrace extended to his family.” (Lane)

And yet Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” I love that Jesus isn’t swayed by outward appearances. 

On the outside, Matthew (Levi) may have appeared comfortable, wealthy, and in need of nothing. But Jesus saw deeper. Thankfully, He always sees deeper.

Where were you when Jesus called you?

Jesus was nowhere on my radar when He found me, yet I was on His — just as you were, and still are. What grace we receive as we walk with Him.

He called us in our need, and He continues to call us into fellowship with Himself.

This episode was recorded on a very rainy day here in Northern California, and it seemed fitting to close with a rainy-day recording of "Amazing Grace" — a reminder of how He found us and how He continues with us.

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Psalm 131:2

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

like a weaned child with its mother;

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

In this Psalm, David shows us that we really can take part in calming and quieting our own souls.

I share a story about watching a friend help her young son settle in the middle of anxious tears. She held his hands, gently asked him to look into her eyes, and took deep breaths with him, reminding him that he was safe. Soon he calmed, his problems seemed to shrink, and before long he was back to being a kid.

How many times has a moment in God’s presence calmed and quieted your soul, even when nothing outwardly changed?

In this episode, I read Scriptures that speak of stillness and trust, and close with the hymn, "Be Still My Soul."

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Psalm 31:19–20 (NKJV)

Oh, how great is Your goodness,

Which You have laid up for those who fear You,

Which You have prepared for those who trust in You

In the presence of the sons of men!

You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence

From the plots of man;

You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion

From the strife of tongues.

This is one of those Psalms where David is in the middle of deep distress, yet he still remembers the goodness of God and finds refuge in the secret place of His presence.

I’ll be honest — I don’t always wake up with Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder. Some days it feels more like a raven has taken up residence on my head. But David shows us that God’s goodness isn’t tied to our mood or our circumstances.

David came to God in every state. He didn’t wait until he felt presentable, and there is so much for us to learn from that kind of faith.

I’ll close with the song, "Come Away."

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Psalm 17:8 (ESV)

Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,

What an interesting prayer. In this episode, we reflect on how delicate the eye is — and how close David must have felt to the Lord to ask for such personal protection.

The “apple” refers to the pupil, one of the most sensitive and carefully guarded parts of the body. It’s a picture of nearness and constant care.

Have you ever prayed this prayer? I hadn’t — not until recently.

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “He who uses this prayer intelligently perceives the omniscience of Jehovah, who, better than a hundred eyes, can see all his foes from whichever quarter they may come.”

What comfort to remember that God sees what we cannot and guards what we cannot control.

Together, we’ll consider what it means to entrust our fears and concerns to the One Who watches over us so closely.

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John 16:13-14 (NKJV)

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 

Matthew Henry wrote —All the gifts and graces of the Spirit, all the preaching, and all the writing of the apostles, under the influence of the Spirit, all the tongues, and miracles, were to glorify Christ.

Recently, I hosted one of our monthly online women’s gatherings for the Women’s Bible Club and the Mercy Room. Our theme this year is Teach Me to Follow.

We have been praying for each other to become more sensitive to His promptings. I will share a story of how His prompting to linger on some verses drew me into a beautiful view of Him. 

“He will glorify Me”— If the Holy Spirit wants to glorify Jesus to you, or through you, stop everything and follow. 

What a lovely view He wants to share with us. 

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Psalm 138:8 (NKJV)

The LORD will accomplish what concerns me;

Your lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting;

Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

In this episode, I walk through Psalm 138, stopping along the way to linger on a few verses that stand out. There is so much treasure packed into these eight verses.

Near the end, I read a reflection from Charles Spurgeon on verse 8, where he describes receiving this promise written on a slip of paper inside a “little envelope,” meant to be carried through the year as a steady support.

Since I can’t place an envelope in your hand, I’m glad to read it aloud to you—along with a little music in the background.

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This week, we are revisiting a favorite episode. We hope you enjoy going back with us.

Ephesians 1:3

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

I read this verse in multiple versions and three words stayed the same: “every spiritual blessing.”

In this episode, I will share a real-time quest to find spiritual blessings in the midst of a very loud morning here in my corner of earth. The crashing and scraping outside my window made the perfect metaphor for my often very loud thoughts, so I recorded it for you. You may be tempted to grab your hard hat. 

I will read to you from:

Psalm 19:1-14

Psalm 8:3-9

2 Corinthians 4:16 - 5:1

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This week, we are revisiting a favorite episode. We hope you enjoy going back with us.

Psalm 139:3

You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.

"And art acquainted with all my ways - All the paths that I tread; the whole course of my life. All that I do, in all places and at all times, is fully known to thee."

Barnes

As I reflected on the whole course of my life, I wanted to share the story of my second birthday, which happened when I was eighteen years old.

I discovered this has been one of my most played and shared episodes and I am revisiting it here on my birthday week. It's become a yearly tradition.

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This week, we are revisiting a favorite episode. We hope you enjoy going back with us.

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Last week, we looked at God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ as an infant.

This week, we will move ahead to God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ as a grown-up.

I will share Scripture that gave me a literal sigh of relief.

I will read to you from:

Luke 4:14-21

Luke 8:42-48

Matthew 5:1-10

Matthew 11:28-30

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This week, we are revisiting a favorite episode. We hope you enjoy going back with us.

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

What comes into your mind when you think of the face of Christ as an infant?

Who among us would choose to come into the world the way He did?

Even as an infant, He challenged the way of the world and the way of "me."

Right from the start, Jesus modeled humility, dependence and trust.

I will read to you from:

2 Corinthians 4:6-7

Luke 2:7

Isaiah 9:2

Matthew 1:19-20

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