God’s Handwriting Today’s Scripture Selection: Exodus 31:18 After some very specific instructions concerning where and how the people of God were to worship, God confirmed his law and covenant with them and we read this intriguing passage of scripture: “When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets… Continue reading God’s Handwriting
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
Following Angels
Following Angels Today’s Scripture Selection: Exodus 23:20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared for you.” Who was this angel of God that went before the people of God in their wilderness wanderings? I wouldn’t begin to speculate… Continue reading Following Angels
No Other Gods
No Other God Today’s Scripture Selection: Exodus 20:1-17 Of all the things God provided for His people in the wilderness, surely the Ten Commandments are among the greatest. We are “people of the Book” – and the world has known us as such from the beginning. Have we always followed the counsel we find there? … Continue reading No Other Gods
Then Came the Grumbling
Then Came the Grumbling Today’s Scripture Selection: Exodus 15:23-24 It didn’t take long. The people, after so many years of bondage and oppression, after their miraculous salvation by God via Moses, after wandering for a while in the desert, began to complain. Isn’t that just like human nature? “When they came to Marah, they could… Continue reading Then Came the Grumbling
The Song of Faith
The Song of Faith Today’s Scripture Selection: Exodus 15:1-2 Once God acted in power, just as promised, and the people of God were freed, how could they help but sing? “I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he hurled into the sea. The LORD is my… Continue reading The Song of Faith
For the Generations to Come
For the Generations to Come Today’s Scripture Selection: Exodus 12:14 It took a lot to convince Pharaoh to let God’s people go – to say the least. Miracles, Plagues, a river of blood, frogs, gnats, flies, locusts, darkness, death – no wonder Hollywood has had such fun immortalizing the evident on the Big Screen. But… Continue reading For the Generations to Come
I Will Take You
I Will Take You Today’s Scripture Selection: Exodus 6:7 What a beautiful promise it is: “I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.” One of our most fundamental needs is to be loved and to be accepted. This was especially true of a people who had long ago been… Continue reading I Will Take You
When They Heard
When They Heard Today’s Scripture Selection: Exodus 4:31 “And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.” It’s a wonderful example of a people in need responding to the news that God cares about them. Oppressed by harsh taskmasters, trying to keep their… Continue reading When They Heard
Send Someone Else
Send Someone Else Today’s Scripture Selection: Exodus 4:13 “But Moses said, ‘O Lord, please send someone else to do it.’” I’ve always thought that one of the most interesting, even poignant, parts of the Exodus story is how Moses didn’t want to do the job God had for him to do. I can identify with… Continue reading Send Someone Else
Holy Space
Holy Space Today’s Scripture Selection: Exodus 3:5 “’Do not come any closer,’ God said, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’” Where are the holy spaces of your life? When Moses encountered the now famous “burning bush” in the wilderness where he was hiding out as a shepherd… Continue reading Holy Space