Archived Devotions (Page 6)

A couple weeks ago I helped in the nursery with the tiny SFNAZ church kids. While it has been a long time since I have had a little one in my house, I was reminded of their unwavering desire to keep finding something new or making things fit where they don’t belong. While the babies were crawling around they kept getting a new toy out to play with, but they also kept coming back to the bucket with the shaped…

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Luke 11:1-2 NKJV Jesus’ first words were Our Father. He wanted the 12 and all who would come after to know that God truly is our Father and that we are to surrender our lives to our God who deeply loves us. We are to hallow His name because He is holy, and He is God! How do…

19 So then, my brothers and sisters, we have boldness to go into the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus. 20 He has inaugurated a brand new, living path through the curtain (that is, his earthly body). 21 We have a high priest who is over God’s house. 22 So let us therefore come to worship, with a true heart, in complete assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22 –…

As we embark on new and uncertain things in life that require change, we often set goals and start off strong with great intentions.  At the beginning of this process, you may be energized and ready to blast through to the end, yet inevitably life or even we ourselves can get in the way.  This is actually where the real work begins.  It is in these times we may realize that we are not able to do everything we thought…

  We are Christ-followers (Disciples of Jesus / Empowered by the Holy Spirit / Living His Word /Set apart for Him / To make new disciples by), boldly reaching out to proclaim his transforming love, so that all may know and follow Him. Our whole purpose is to honor and adore the Living Lord! “Therefore, … since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us…

To wait is defined as “to stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens.”  This is an action verb that challenges me on a daily basis.  I always have a to-do list and I like to check it off quickly.  Waiting to finish something I have set my mind to isn’t something I am good at. Early in my walk with the Lord, this was troublesome for me. I thought since I…

Give, and it will be given to you. A good portion—packed down, firmly shaken, and overflowing—will fall into your lap. The portion you give will determine the portion you receive in return.” (Luke 6:38) In our young adult study on Thursdays, we are slowly making our way through the Gospel of Luke. Tonight, we dig through chapter six. Here most of the narrative is teaching directly from Jesus. In a red-letter Bible, most of the words are red. Much of…

Over the course of the past several months, the word “worship” has come up a lot in church body discussions.  For years in my life “worship” was just a word I thought I was familiar with and had a good understanding of. It was an act in which I grew up knowing was a celebration of my love for Christ. As the years of my life passed, now as a pastor in a church with transition going on, I have…

I greet you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and welcome us to the week of Christmas!  I want to compile an acrostic for Christmas with scripture to accompany each word. C= Christ: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is CHRIST the Lord. Luke 2:11 H= Highest Heaven: “Glory to God in the HIGHEST HEAVEN, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  Luke 2:14 R=…

During the last couple of weeks, God has placed multiple reminders in my path, reminding me to stop and listen. Our family devotional time, conversations with others, short messages from friends; all aligned with the direction for me to stop and listen.  I am not referring to simply listening to a person who is speaking to me, but I am referring to stopping and listening to the sounds around me. As these months have flown by and we have arrived…

Christ is our peace. He made both Jews and Gentiles into one group. With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us… When he came, he announced good new of peace to you who were far away from God and to those were near. We both have access to the Father through Christ by the one Spirit… Christ is building you into a place where God lives through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:14, 17-18, 22 CEB) Yesterday’s…

Olivia Craker Metcalf, the author of this year’s Advent devotional reminded me of an old chorus based on Psalm 119:105 that reads, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”.  Maybe you remember it, and if you do, and if you’re like me, you’re now singing it either out loud or quietly within yourself. Either way, I HOPE it is bringing you joy and a smile on your face like it did for me.…