What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?
Well, first I make a hot drink. Coffee is my favorite. While that’s brewing, I feed the chickens. Then, I read my Bible and think and pray and write. If all those things happen, my day is off to a good start. If they don’t, the whole day feels off kilter.
The Object of Seeking
Commonplace –
“He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him” (Proverbs 11:27).
In Matthew 7:7, Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you”. It is a promise that, if we seek, we shall find. The key to Proverbs 11:27 is ensuring we are diligently seeking the good and not mischief.
In his Commentary, Matthew Henry notes,
“He that rises early to that which is good (so the word is), that seeks opportunities of serving his friends and relieving the poor, and lays out himself therein, procures favour. All about him love him, and speak well of him, and will be ready to do him a kindness; and, which is better than that, better than life, he has God’s lovingkindness” (700).
Works Cited
Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 11:27.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
© 2026 Angela Hormberg
Which aspects do you think make a person unique?
Everything makes a person unique. Every. Little. Thing. It’s built into our DNA that way. And it’s a miracle that we ignore every day.
Where a person is born, when they are born, their parents, siblings (if they have them), family, hometown, etc., their environment, plays a part in nurturing the individual, shaping their character and experiences. Bodily makeup, such as, eye color, skin tone, height, weight, teeth structure, etc., also makes a person unique. Then, there is the soul, the uniqueness of the essential self, our personality, which is specific to us. Mix all that together, and you get an individual, a one of a kind, unrepeated person.
I want you, reader, to remember that. You are unrepeatable. You are full of potential. You are not one of eight billion. You are one of a kind. And there is a reason that you are here. Find your purpose. Fulfill your purpose.
So, when you hear the rumblings of the world tell you that AI is going to take over the world, I want you to think hard about whether that is really true. You are a person made in the image of God. AI is a creation of man, a repeat of everything already in the world. It cannot make itself sentient. It can take what we have and make improvements. We can get lazy and allow it to do the heavy lifting of thinking for us. But just like the Wizard of Oz, there is a person or people at the heart of the AI myth who want you to believe their story. You have a choice on what you will believe.
Withholding and Selling
Commonplace –
“He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it” (Proverbs 11:26).
This week our pastor read from Obadiah, which is a book I am not very familiar with. It’s short, only one chapter, just twenty-one verses. The book is written to Edom, the descendants of Esau. God is rebuking them for their hateful treatment of the Israelites, at one point noting that even robbers leave somethings from those they rob, even grapegatherers leave some grapes when they gather. The point is Edom was greedy and hateful and like “[he] that withholdeth corn”, as mentioned in our verse today, there is a reckoning for such evil greed: curses.
In his Commentary on verse 11:26, Matthew Henry notes,
“We are not to think it an indifferent thing, and not worth heeding, whether we have the ill will and word, or the good will and word, of our neighbours, their prayers or their curses; for here we are taught to dread their curses, and forego our own profit rather than incur them; and to court their blessings, and be at some expense to purchase them. Sometimes, vox populi est vox Dei – the voice of the people is the voice of God” (700).
Works Cited
Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 11:26.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
© 2026 Angela Hormberg
The Liberal Soul
Commonplace –
“The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself” (Proverbs 11:25).
Proverbs 11:25 continues the theme of 11:24, giving and receiving. 11:24 teaches, if we scatter our seed, it will return a harvest; similarly, in 11:25 we read, if we liberally pour ourselves out like water, we shall be watered in return.
A picture of this process in nature is the water cycle. In the sun’s heat, the water evaporates and rises. Eventually, the water condenses into clouds. Finally, the water falls back to the earth, refilling the rivers and lakes, watering the plants. As Solomon points out in Ecclesiastes 1:7:
“All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again” (Ecclesiastes 1:7).
In the same way, our lives should be a continual pouring out and refilling. Pouring out for the better of those around us actually fills us up. Can we believe it and act on it?
Works Cited
Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 11:25.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
© 2026 Angela Hormberg
Scattering and Holding
Commonplace –
“There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty” (Proverbs 11:24).
Proverbs 11:24 seems counterintuitive. Solomon tells us that if we scatter, we will see an increase, and if we hold back, we will become poor. Obviously, if we have money and squander it, we will become poor, and if we have money and save it, our wealth will grow. Yet, Solomon, who was the most wise, tells us that the opposite actually happens. Is this true?
First, we must consider it from Solomon’s point of view as the wisest person. Obviously, he is not talking about buying stuff. Clearly, if we squander our money on things, we will become poor. If we save our money, it will increase.
Yet, there are times when we scatter our money and, like seed, it grows. If we give our money to good causes, such as a meal for someone, to a church ministry, like vacation bible school, or gift a bible to someone, we are not squandering our money. We are investing it in people and the kingdom. We are storing up our treasures in heaven. If we hold back our money at those times, we are storing up our treasure “where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal” (Matthew 6:19).
In regard to Proverbs 11:24 and scattering, Matthew Henry notes the following in his Commentary,
“It is possible a man may grow rich by prudently spending what he has, may scatter in works of piety, charity, and generosity, and yet may increase” (700).
In relation to withholding, Henry notes,
“…let man be ever so saving of what they have, if God blast it and blow upon it, it comes to nothing” (700).
Works Cited
Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 11:24.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
© 2026 Angela Hormberg
Write a letter to your 100 year old self.
Dear 100 Year Old Me,
How are you? I mean, really, how are you?
Actually, don’t tell me. I don’t think I want to know.
I’m just going to sit here and contemplate the idea that somehow we lived to 100. I really thought our sweet tooth would have been the death of us, but clearly that’s not true. Or did we give up sweets at some point? Make some good lifestyle changes? Never mind. You know how I, actually I mean we, overthink things. Don’t tell me.
Hmmm. I have so many questions, but I don’t really want to know the answers. I want to wait and let it all be a surprise.
So, here’s what I’ll say.
I hope you still love Jesus. If not, get right, quick!
I hope our sweetheart still loves Jesus, and he’s still with us. Don’t tell me, though. Just give him a big hug and kiss for me.
I hope the kids still love Jesus. If not, preach to them, while there is still time and breath left. Tell them how much I love them and hug and kiss them all for me.
I hope that you are preaching the Gospel to whoever will listen, family and strangers alike. That’s some pretty good news, and who doesn’t like good news?
If you do all that, then I think we have accomplished the most important thing, and everything else is just gravy.
I bet you think a lot about more about eternity, since it’s probably so close. Won’t it be so beautiful?
Make me proud, girl. Do your best. Be kind. Be loving. Be Jesus to all you meet.
With much love and lots of prayers from the halfway point,
A
Desires and Expectations
Commonplace –
“The desire of the righteous is only good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath” (Proverbs 11:23).
In Proverbs 11:23, Solomon mentions desires and expectations, and essentially, the words have the same meaning. The Hebrew word for ‘desire’ is “ta’ăvâ“, which means the “longing of the heart” (“H378”). The Hebrew word for ‘expectations’ is “tiqvâ“, which means “hope” (“H8615”).
What is the hope of the righteous? The righteous long for a good outcome. What is the hope of the wicked? The wicked long for a bad outcome. The good hope the best for themselves and those around them. The wicked desire wrath, fury, and revenge.
What are you thinking when you think of the outcome of events?
Works Cited
“H8378 – ta’ăvâ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 10 Mar, 2026. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h8378/kjv/wlc/0-1/.
“H8615 – tiqvâ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 10 Mar, 2026. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h8615/kjv/wlc/0-1/.
Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 11:23.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
© 2026 Angela Hormberg
Where would you go on a shopping spree?
My response to this question totally depends on which decade of life I am in.
Back in my twenties, I would have chosen a shopping spree at a clothing and shoe store.
In my thirties, I would have said a baby store.
In my forties, I would have said a bookstore.
In my current decade, I don’t want stuff just to have it. I would go on a shopping spree at the local plant store. I want things that are lasting and bring beauty. I want to look out into my yard and see beauty. I don’t want artificial beauty; I only desire to enhance the natural, native beauty. While my favorite plant is the kind that doesn’t need a lot of maintenance, I also enjoy bringing plants on the verge of death back to life by moving them to a better place in the yard or giving them a little extra something to help them.
So on my shopping spree, I would stop by the clearance rack first and check out the plants that would grow well in my yard but might need some love to rejuvenate them. Then, I would look for fruit trees that would add beauty and be useful. My list would include blueberry bushes, lowquat trees, and herbs. Of course, I would add azaleas and flowers, too.
Jewels and Swine
Commonplace –
“As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion” (Proverbs 11:22).
In Proverbs 11:22, the word discretion comes from the Hebrew word “ṭaʿam” (“H2940”), which means to have judgment, understanding, and taste. The writer is comparing a beautiful woman without good judgment to a pig wearing jewels. The outer beauty is meaningless if the woman is a pig at heart. I like the way Matthew Henry explains ‘discretion’ in his Commentary,
“By discretion here we must understand religion and grace, a true taste and relish (so the word signifies) of the honours and pleasures that attend an unspotted virtue; so that a woman without discretion is a woman of a loose and dissolute conversation” (699).
The choice of pig as the animal in this proverb is intentional, as they are opportunistic omnivores. A mother pig, a sow, will sometimes even eat her own babies.
To avoid being like a pig, a woman must cultivate her understanding, judgment, and taste, choosing wisely rather than indiscriminately.
Works Cited
“H2940 – ṭaʿam – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 9 Mar, 2026. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h2940/kjv/wlc/0-1/.
Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 11:22.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
© 2026 Angela Hormberg
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