Devotional (Page 3)

Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people whom he has chosen as his heritage!   Yesterday morning I was going through my daily ritual, standing in front of the mirror trying to make something presentable of my rested, but bed-marked face, I saw nothing remarkable, only me. Later though, upon exiting the shower, I noticed something interesting on the steamed mirror; little handprints and artwork of circles and imaginary letters adorned the mirror. Previously…

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10 I recall one snowy winter day when Rusty was out shoveling the driveway, Benjamin, who was 2 at the time, thought it would be a good idea to help his dad shovel the snow wearing only boots, a warm winter hat and his…

“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30 CEB) This past weekend, I attended the memorial service of a peer, Ryan Pennington. I grew up with him in youth group at my home church in Yakima. While…

Hebrews 11:4-7 4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6…

Recently we celebrated Pentecost, the day that we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit as described in Acts chapter 2. Acts 2:2 “They (the believers) were filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”  What an incredible experience that must have been. Everyone gathered in Jerusalem heard the gospel in their own language and over 3000 people were saved. This wonderful event is often overshadowed by the discussion of the…

I can’t believe it is just after Pentecost Sunday. It is such a remarkable time for us to live.   Pentecost Sunday is 50 days after Easter.  The Comforter not only was sent to us but remains with us.    He has never left us.  This is a time of great excitement as we watch expecting the Comforter active in our day-to-day living.   We are not alone.  It’s a reminder that we have the Holy Spirit to comfort us 24/7.  Nothing has…

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…