Week 27: Pride or Healing Today’s Text: 2 Kings 1-5 Key Verse: 2 Kings 5:1-14 In the passage I have selected for today, we find the story of the prophet Elisha and Naaman, a great commander of the army of the king of Aram. The scripture sets the scene: “The man, though a mighty warrior,… Continue reading Week 27: Pride or Healing
Author: Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. Elpis is the Greek word meaning “expectant hope.” He also serves on the associate clinical staff of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, Richmond, Virginia, both as a pastoral counselor and a ministerial assessment specialist, specializing in executive, clergy and relationship coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
Week 27: Holy
Week 27: Holy Today’s Text: Leviticus 10-12 Key Verse: 11:44 “For I am the Lord your God; sanctify yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” In the midst of all the regulation and ritualistic instruction, chapter after chapter of “do this” and “don’t do that” there is this wonderful summation of why any… Continue reading Week 27: Holy
Week 27: Rejoice in the Lord
Today’s Text: Philippians 3-4 Key Verse: 3:1 “Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord.” The apostle Paul was a man who experienced many things in his life. Early on, he was well trained in the Jewish law, extremely well trained. He was zealous about his faith, and became a persecutor of followers of… Continue reading Week 27: Rejoice in the Lord
Dear Faithful Readers
Given that this week would put us exactly halfway through a 52 week walk through the entire Bible, I have decided to start posting reflections on these scheduled texts, “by genre” as I have done in the past. This means that each Sunday I will list a section from the Epistles, Monday will be from… Continue reading Dear Faithful Readers
Freedom
Key Texts: 2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Being July 4th, I feel compelled to say a word or two about freedom. As I thought about this, I considered all I might write about. Should I say something about law and… Continue reading Freedom
Look Up
Key Texts: Psalm 123:1 I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven. It seems to me that each day brings a little more controversy; a little more debate. There are times when I have to just switch off the computer, the radio, the TV, because I just can’t… Continue reading Look Up
Actions and Words
Actions and Words Key Texts: Jeremiah 7:1-3 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Stand at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message: “‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. This is what the… Continue reading Actions and Words
If You Can?
If You Can? Key Texts: Mark 9:14-29 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. “What are you arguing with them… Continue reading If You Can?
You are the God
You are the God Key Texts: Psalm 88:1-2 Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you. May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry. All of us have them – moments when we don’t quite know where to turn… Continue reading You are the God
In the Eyes of…
In the Eyes of… Key Texts: Second Corinthians: 8:21 For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man. Paul was writing about a particular act of ministry and charity – an offering to be exact – and how it… Continue reading In the Eyes of…