Devotional (Page 7)
Devotionals written by the pastoral team.
Holy Listening
Then the Lord came and stood there, calling just as before, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel said, “Speak. Your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10, CEB) I admit in my life I have spent a lot of time thinking about the ideas surrounding a person’s calling. And of all the descriptions I’ve found, I love author Parker Palmer as he describes “This is something I can’t not do, for reasons I’m unable to explain to anyone else and don’t fully understand myself…
WE HONOR OUR OWN
It was a busy, fun, sad kind of weekend. I received pictures from my cousins who live in Kansas. They visit our families who have passed and put flowers on all the graves. One particular gravesite sticks out for me. I had an older brother who lived 8 hours. After all my parents passed and most of my siblings, I find out that my brother who passed had an actual gravesite. I was able to see it when we made…
Waiting on the Lord
Have you ever had to wait on the Lord? Two months ago, I injured my hip and knee falling on a flow rider (surf simulator) and since then I have been doing a lot of sitting and waiting… waiting for my body to heal and not being able to do the things that I want. Sometimes the same is true in our spiritual lives. Sometimes we find ourselves in a season of waiting on the Lord and not being able…
Getting Our Attention
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. PSALM 18:16 Three major events lead to the fall of 2015 being one of the most challenging times of my life. Due to an errant business decision, we were forced to file bankruptcy. My grandmother’s boyfriend of more than a decade lost his life in a car accident just days before Christmas and I was denied bereavement leave because he “wasn’t family.” …
Wait
Isaiah 40:31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. “Just a minute!” a dad replies, scrolling through his YouTube feed while one of his kids pleads for some attention. How often does that sixty second request turn into more, leaving a child confused as to the actual span of a minute. It’s so easy…
Make Disciples
The only verb in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) is matheteuo – “make disciples.” The rest of the verse modifies this verb—or tells us how to make disciples. It is that last thing Christ told us to do before he returned to the Father. So how are we doing at that? On my 21st birthday I went to a Billy Graham Crusade in San Diego. When the invitation came, I went forward, as I wanted to see what happened when…
Let My Life Be The Proof of Your Love
Let my life be the proof of your love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. “If I sing, but don’t have love, I waste my breath with every song. I bring an empty voice, A hollow noise. If I speak with a silver tongue, Convince a crowd but don’t have love, I leave a bitter taste with every word I say, So…
Our Daily Bread
“Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11 & Luke 11:3) In my small group we’ve been working through a series on prayer. Part of the series uses the Lord’s prayer as a guide. Jesus himself used the Lord’s prayer to teach others how to pray. But when we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” What does this mean? Is it only about asking God to provide food for our physical needs? I think there is lot…
Jesus is the Same
I went to the store the other day to buy my favorite ice cream. I couldn’t believe my favorite ice cream cost more. The golden potatoes, that I dearly love, have increased. What is with the price gouge on everything? My favorite bread costs more. Most of you know I love McDonalds. It’s been my favorite place to go forever. I used to have my office there where I would meet others. In the process of going there so much,…
Striving to be Your Best
I wouldn’t trade my eight years in the Army for anything. My military experience helped shape me into the man I am today. I have very few regrets related to those years, but I do have regrets. Because of my military experience, I enjoy watching military-based movies and TV shows. Most recently I’ve enjoyed watching the series on Fox called Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. If you haven’t seen the show, it’s filmed in the Jordanian desert, not far from…
Spiritual Habits
As I sit at home this morning (which doesn’t happen often) and look outside, I am reminded to take a deep breath and appreciate what’s around me. It only takes a few seconds to look around you. What makes me smile? What brings me joy? This morning it is seeing green grass, spring is coming, endless trees in the forest, I can hear our rooster crowing. These things are always here, just waiting for me to pause and notice. …
The Ministry
It didn’t start out as a Ministry. Actually, in a way it is a “side” ministry. It started as a caring note as a text on my phone. It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving when one of our friends had a medical emergency. We were leaving on Wednesday to be with friends, that we managed to do every year for many years. I talked to the wife and said I feel terrible leaving you at a time like this, but…