Devotional

7 The angel of the Lord found her by a spring in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 He said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai.” 9The angel of the Lord said to her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her authority.” 10The angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to…

She opens her mouth with wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” (Proverbs 31:26-29) ESV It’s Mother’s Day this weekend. What a wonderful time to celebrate the gift of motherhood. The several moms who are…

I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a morning person, but I do love watching the sun come up.  It doesn’t matter if it’s watching the sunrise through the pine trees on a camping trip, watching it crest over the African savannah or seeing the dawn of a new day at the end of a long night of work, there’s something special about sitting quietly and watching the sunlight break through the darkness, little by little, until that first beam of light…

Eph. 6:10-17   I recently had the opportunity to attend the NW District Assembly and heard some amazing preaching.  One sermon that hit home was preached by our District Superintendent, David Mowry.  It dealt with withstanding the pressures of the world (my summary and meaning).  In his sermon he mentioned the forces of gravity which really struck home for me. In college I was enrolled in the Air Reserve Officer Training Corps, preparing for commissioning as a Second Lieutenant.  In…

Northern Nevada is vast, almost at times beyond comprehension!  We recently took a driving trip to Las Vegas for a soccer tournament and for the trip down decided to take the more populated route down southern Idaho and over through Salt Lake City.  Parts of it were stunning!  Mountains, canyons, rock formations! On the way home however, we decided to take a more direct route through northern Nevada.  God’s creation was still on full display but what filled my thoughts…

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from heaven! Praise God on the heights! Praise God, all of you who are his messengers! Praise God, all of you who comprise his heavenly forces! Sun and moon, praise God! All of you bright stars, praise God! (Psalm 148:1-3, CEB) I have talked in the past about my growth in appreciation for the rhythms of the Christian liturgical calendar. One such revelation was learning that in many corners of the Christian church, Easter…

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord all the earth! Psalm 96 bursts forth with a command, a delightful privilege, to sing something brand-new. This new song is an opportunity to delight in, and magnify the Lordship of God. Interesting to me that we should hear this from one of the oldest song books in the world. More than any other complaint about the church over the course of my life, new music has faced…

Matthew 28  2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just…

You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  ~ Psalm 139:1 – 3 Many of us were assigned George Orwell’s sci-fi thriller “1984” to read in school. In 1949 Orwell penned a cautionary tale warning that Big Brother is always watching. Over the last seventy years, we’ve transitioned…

A couple of weeks ago, Pastor Wes preached on Luke 5:1-10, the story of the miraculous catch of fish.  It is the story of a once in a lifetime catch of fish, that happened as a miracle of Jesus.  It is even more the story of the conversion of three fishermen.  It is easy to get caught up in the miracle of verses 1-10 and miss the greater miracle in verse 11.  I have added Luke 5:11 to my list…

How many times have you been reading the scripture that you have read multiple times and all of the sudden a particular verse jumps out at you? As I was reading in 1 Corinthians the third chapter, all of a sudden, the 16th and 17th verses caught my attention.  What does it mean we are the temple of God? I have read this passage many times over the years and never thought much about it, but this time it grabbed…

Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your hearts, with fasting, with weeping, and with sorrow; tear your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive. (Joel 2:12-13) In the years before high school, my family and I were what I would call “church hoppers.” We attended somewhat regularly, but for various reasons we would attend one…