Devotional (Page 20)

12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised about the fiery trials that have come among you to test you. These are not strange happenings. 13 Instead, rejoice as you share Christ’s suffering. You share his suffering now so that you may also have overwhelming joy when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are mocked because of Christ’s name, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory—indeed, the Spirit of God—rests on you. (1 Peter 4:12-14) The New Testament book of 1 Peter has always been one of…

It’s a famous phrase at our house.  When someone is obviously asleep, one of us will say in a rather loud voice, “Are you awake?”Seriously?  They were NOT awake. But someone had something to say, and wanted to be sure their important thought was heard.  I’m not going to say which family member I am talking about.  🙂  “Stay awake, stand firm in your faith, be brave, be strong.  Everything should be done in love.”  I Corinthians 16:13 (Common English…

This last weekend Chris and I had a little weekend away. As usual we like to seek out adventure and hopefully not get ourselves into too much trouble.  This trip was a typical one for us, it did not disappoint on the adventure side of things.  One of the days we set out to kayak in the Gig Harbor area, more specifically between Raft Island and Cutts Island.  As many of you get to know me you will realize I…

Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 2 Corinthians 3:5 As we have studied 1 John on Sunday mornings we have learned that we are called to love one another. John says this over and over again. However there are some times when this is a difficult thing to do and the only way we will fulfill God’s plan for our life is to rely on God’s strength. And…

22 Jesus and his disciples came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch and heal him. 23 Taking the blind man’s hand, Jesus led him out of the village. After spitting on his eyes and laying his hands on the man, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 The man looked up and said, “I see people. They look like trees, only they are walking around.” 25 Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s…

I just found out that February 20 was “HOODIE-HOO DAY”. It is actually a holiday when residents of the Northern Hemisphere, tired of winter, step outside at noon, wave their hands over their heads and yell “HOODIE-HOO!” This unusual action is supposed to mean that SPRING is only a month away! Please tell me that all of you did this Throughout the last week or so I have noticed #2, #6, #7- these reflect temperature. I seem to move slower…

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper… 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can’t produce fruit unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything.” (John 15, CEB) At our recent teen…

Choose Joy In God’s Presence This phrase comes to my lips, and brain often. Most of the time when I am gritting my teeth, chewing my nails, tapping my foot or closing the car door a little bit too firmly. I know that God has blessed me greatly, I get that everyone has tough seasons and that while I am not going to be “happy” every moment, I can always “choose joy”. “You teach me the way of life. In…

As we begin to reflect on those special moments in life such as completing a college degree, planning a wedding, preparing for the birth of a child, we focus on every little detail of what needs to be planned out. In doing this planning we might make a list, think of the “what ifs”, contact loved ones, and share the joy of it all with others. All the preparation that we put into the long process of planning is often…

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) We will begin a new series this Sunday. We will look at the Book of 1 John. As I read at God’s Word, it’s like spiritual nutrition. 1 John is a small portion meal to be enjoyed slowly. The contents of the book are to be…

As many of you know I am from Arizona. This is my second Christmas and New Year that I have lived in Spokane and the journey of identifying “home” has become more complicated. My heart longs for home, which I still refer to as Arizona. Some may think that I should be over this longing since I have been here almost two years, but I don’t think the longing will ever leave my heart. You see I literally grew up…

“Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them.” Hosea 2:6–7 When Gomer, the Old Testament prophet Hosea’s wife, continued to chase after other lovers, God placed a hedge of thorns around her, keeping her from finding adulterous relationships and eventually driving her back to her husband. Job, on the…