Devotional (Page 3)

Think about powerful moments in history that shaped generations. For some, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s words on December 8, 1941, declaring the attack on Pearl Harbor “a date which will live in infamy,” still bring strong emotions. For others, it’s the raw feeling of President George W. Bush’s speech after the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001: “our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts.”…

You’ve heard it and so have I; it sounds like a truth statement that comes right out of the Bible. Guess what? It’s not in there. Does that mean it’s not true? It sounds a lot like the Scriptural statement, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) These two truth statements are not the same. I can believe something that is not true. If I trust the untrustworthy, the power which I am searching for…

Eccl. 4:9-12 This week we celebrate Independence Day, remembering the birth of our nation almost 250 years ago.  It is a day worth remembering as we began the hard work of separating ourselves from a tyrannic ruler and his country.  We set in stone the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness as the cornerstones of American identity.  We also recently celebrated Juneteenth, a holiday that remembers the day when slaves in Texas found out that they were…

Praise the Lord! Let my whole being praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with all my life; I will sing praises to my God as long as I live. Don’t trust leaders; don’t trust any human beings— there’s no saving help with them! Their breath leaves them, then they go back to the ground. On that very same day, their plans die too. The person whose help is the God of Jacob— the person whose hope rests on…

The Bible is the most popular book of all time. One book that has been read in whole or in part by people for thousands of years. Sixty-six books all of which we describe as “God breathed,” inspired, and good for instruction and guidance for all of us. Moms and dads have been using quotes from the Bible throughout the generations to provide the authority for their teaching so their children and grandchildren would be able to grasp healthy, and…

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you…

Memorial weekend is kind of fun for us in a small town.  It’s easy to be involved, and as a Minister, it makes it very easy!  It starts at the American Legion Hall for breakfast.  This year there were probably 30 or so bikers, maybe more.  They started at the Canadian border and riding down to Seaside, Oregon and stopping at all the American Legion Halls on the way.   After breakfast we headed to the Cemetery to help put up…

Ephesians 5:31-32 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and the Church.” The apostle Paul has been giving instruction on marriage and marriage relationships and then he switches the script and says he’s really talking about Christ and the church. I went to the doctor today for a checkup where I…

All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more…

That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love…Colossians 2:2 I visited a coffee shop recently and as I was enjoying a beverage with several members of my family, an eclectic gentleman entered, purchased a cup of coffee and sat down on a couch just slightly to my left. I noticed him when he first entered because of his unique garb. He was wearing dingy trousers, too short for him, but too long to not be considered pants;…

1 Lord, hear my prayer; let my cry for help come before You. 2 Do not hide Your face from me in my day of trouble. Listen closely to me; answer me quickly when I call.   Psalm 102:1-2   There have been times in my life that I’ve needed to hear from God.  Times that I needed to know I was doing the right thing.  Times I needed confirmation from God. I am not alone.  Throughout scripture, especially in the Psalms,…

Luke 24:13-35 The Lenten season is in the rearview mirror, and Easter decorations have been stored for another year.  It is easy to move from one season to another without fully processing what has just passed.  As a therapist I practice a form of therapy called Lifespan Integration.  It is a therapy that works to build new neuropathways for those who have experienced trauma.  What strikes me about that work is how the brain continues to process the session for…