Silent Stones

Beyond the Sacred Page

Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, The Bible is a precious treasure. Don’t neglect it. Use it and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through it. Remember! It is a tool that the Spirit…

True Healing

Note from Jesus Dear Friend, To be My disciple means that you are committed to following in My footsteps. You come to Me, recognizing your need for healing grace — not just to cure some…

Move Out to Deeper Water

Note from Jesus Dear Friend, Wow, there is so much I would like to say to you about this important moment in today’s verses that forever changed the lives of Peter, James, and John when…

Leaving the Bucket Behind

Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, I surprised My closest disciples at Jacob’s well in Samaria. We were traveling from Judea to Galilee, and Samaria was the region between them. Religious and racial prejudice separated Jews…

Will You Truly Believe?

Note from Jesus Dear Friend, I know the struggle that goes on inside your heart to truly believe. You want to believe, but really placing your full trust in Me is hard to do… especially…

Your Best Is Not Good Enough

Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, What do you do when you recognize that your best isn’t good enough to get you to God? That’s the essential question that every religion has to answer. The resolution…

Just Another Face in the Crowd?

Note from Jesus Dear Follower, I surprised people when I went to the Jordan River to be immersed by John the Baptist. John’s baptism — like baptism in the early church — was immersion based…

Glory in the Ordinary

Note from Jesus Dear Friend, When are you most aware of My presence with you? I can be present in the spectacular, beautiful, and wonderful. I can also be present in the quiet moments of…

First Things First

Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, If you are going to put “first things first,” then what are these “first things” you must do with your friends and family? I know each of your relationships is…

Tested True

Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, Temptation. You face it. It is hard. The devil makes sure that the temptation is presented at just the right time, appealing to just the right vulnerabilities of the moment…

Preparing Your Heart for Me

Note from Jesus Dear Friend, My cousin John the Baptist “appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4 NIV). People were baptized by John to prepare themselves…

God’s Good News Always Begins with a Servant

Note from Jesus Dear Servant of God, I love the way Mark begins his good news story about Me: This is the beginning of the good news of Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King…

Just an Ordinary Kid?

Note from Jesus Dear Child of God, When I began My ministry, the folks in My home town of Nazareth were shocked. They didn’t expect anything of Me. In their minds, I was just another…

Dedicated to God

Note from Jesus Dear Friend, As you begin your New Year, I want to challenge you to dedicate yourself and this year to honor Us — Father, Son, and Spirit. Be faithful in all things…

Giving Grace, Sharing Grace

Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, What do you do when the leaders in your church don’t get along? Do you divide up into different camps and deepen the disagreement? Or, do you spend time with…

Guidance from the Holy Spirit

Note from Jesus Dear Precious Disciple, The conference that you read about in the verses below occurred in Jerusalem. The focus of that conference was what should be done about Gentiles becoming Christians. There was…

In the Cross

Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, As Barnabas and Paul fought for the truth of the gospel against those seeking to corrupt it with doing works based on law, one message was central. That one message…

Unacceptable!

Note from Jesus Dear Follower, I hate racism! Bigotry and racial prejudice are unacceptable. It comes in all sorts of forms, some overt and some cloaked in apparently acceptable language. On the other hand, racial…

God’s New Creation Counts for Everything

Note from Jesus Dear Faithful Friend, I told My disciples in the last few hours before My crucifixion, “I don’t call you servants any longer; servants don’t know what the master is doing, but I…

Focusing on Prayer

Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, Prayer is one of the most precious gifts you have received as the Father’s child! One of the reasons I sent the Holy Spirit to you was so that you…

The Urgency of Living Patiently

Note from Jesus Dear Precious One, In the verses I want to share with you today, James teaches you about the urgency of living patiently. Let Me explain what he means and what I want…

Who Leads in Your Dance of Life?

Note from Jesus Dear Child of the King, You may have noticed in our time together the last few days that I have had you read from Galatians and/or James in your Bible. These two…

Wisdom, Peace, and Righteousness

Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, When James wrote about wisdom and peace, he used terms whose meanings were rooted in what you call the Old Testament — The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. To…

The Power of Your Speech

Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, Learn to wait and think before you speak. Give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to guide your conversation instead of being thrust into overly hasty speech on the whim of…