Devotion: I'm Goin'a Let it Shine
Luke 11:33 – “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. NLT
Read MoreDevotion: I Got it Right
Thinking back on Labor Day last year, I remember I rested from physical exertion although it was not a day of rest. I worked hard to be what God would have me be, and I kinda felt like I got it right.
Read MoreDevotion: Safe Pastures
God understands our feelings and moods. I believe He even expects there'll be days when we don't cope well, when we're on edge or have trouble holding close to Him.
Read MoreDevotion: A Sure Foundation
Where can we turn for help in a country, a world so in need? I certainly don't claim to have all the answers, but I have to wonder if the solution might start with Christians.
Read MoreDevotion: Content?
Standing in line behind three women at the book store recently, I indulged in what every woman does. I compared myself to others.
Read MoreDevotion: Chop Chop!
Patience. Like most, I began learning it as a child. Having to wait for my mother to finish feeding my baby brother and get him down for his nap before she could read to me. Later in school I waited my turn in the school cafeteria, book mobile, even for the teacher to recognize my raised hand and call on me.
Read MoreDevotional: Tenacity
James 1:12- Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. NIV
Has the Great Predator visited your life lately? Presented trials? Recently I saw a hawk swoop in for a feast at a mockingbird’s nest. He was all set to rob her of her hatchlings and although she was less than half his size, she gave chase and made quick work of getting rid of him.
God gives us other examples of tenacity in nature too: The dandelion that, having been mowed down, pops right back up and is a foot tall the next morning.
A tree branch in our yard made a complete 180 degree turn so it could reach the sunlight.
Then there's a tiny cedar, thriving where it was planted, in the split of a Bradford Pear tree.
Wouldn’t it be great if we were as single minded about following the Lord as these examples of nature are to survive? Satan and his band of demons work hard every day to separate us from serving our risen Christ. What’s one day of not reading your Bible and not praying going to hurt? God intended the Ten Commandments as suggestions, go ahead and lie, covet and put other things before God. He’ll understand. And on it goes until he robs us of the joy of living a life in Christ.
Tenacity is something Christians need plenty of and there are things in nature from which we can take lessons. When Satan feeds us lies, we can chase him off by uttering a prayer for strength and courage. When he mows down our hopes and dreams, we can turn to loving God for resilience. When he tries to hide the Light from us, we can open the Word and feel His will radiating to us. God is always there ready to make us strong in the face of the enemy’s temptations.
Almighty God, help us be more productive in our spiritual lives. Give us tenacity to chase off the devil like things in nature pursue what tries to destroy them. Amen.
Devotional: What I Added for Lent
I have a list of my sins, thirty to be exact. I’m sure that’s a fraction of what I commit, but I think all I am guilty of have roots leading back to those thirty.
Read MoreDevotional: The Homeless, Sign in Hand
I see lots of people standing on corners begging. Many times it's cold or rainy. They often look ragged, sometimes even desperate. I wonder who they are. What brought them to this? I admit I sometimes question why they don't just get a real job.
Read MoreDevotional: The Second Storm
Do you, like me, have two storms hit your house every Christmas season?
Read MoreDevotional: Christmas at Doris’s
My sister and brother-in-law, Doris and Eligia met and married thirty-eight years ago, he bringing six children into the marriage, she five. When they come together for their Christmas party the rooms are bustling with people: their kids, grand-kids, great grand-kids, always a baby or two, old family friends, aunts and uncles, boyfriends and girlfriends, and outside a goat and three dogs. One happily whips his tail against my leg as I click pictures.
Read MoreDevotional: Veteran's Day Thoughts
Our son Jon is a Marine veteran. He served in Afghanistan in 2010, a hard year for several reasons, but most of all because he was in a faraway land with a fierce enemy pursuing him. Trust became a huge issue. We begged the Lord to bring our son and the other men and women who were in harm’s way, home safe. At the same time we had to be prepared in case things did not go well. What if Jon came back with a devastating injury? What if he returned with his body intact, but had PTSD so severe he couldn’t function? What if he didn’t make it back at all?
Read MoreDevotional: Almost to the Bottom of the Hill
What constitutes being over the hill? My mother just had her eighty-eighth birthday! Some would say she’s definitely over the hill, even almost to the bottom of the other side. Sometimes I look at her and wonder what it feels like to be so old, to know so much, to perhaps think there is not much use to plan anything. After all, at her age and with poor health isn’t even one more day almost a miracle?
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