Posts with the category “daily-devotionals”

When it comes to group projects, are you the type of person who likes to be in charge and figure out what everyone else must do, or would you rather sit back and wait for a role to be assigned to you?...  Read More

In these verses Jesus has just told His disciples that He would soon suffer many things and be killed. That news rocked the disciples’ world. And if that wasn’t enough, He added, “If you are going to ...  Read More

This I write after the memorial service for Hanna York. Why was there no physical healing? Perhaps the Lord wanted her with Him in heaven! Perhaps the Lord will have unbelievable blessings for Daniel ...  Read More

Do you ever have those days when you feel like you’re wearing thin, run down, or overwhelmed by the busyness and responsibility of life?  Or maybe you’re facing big decisions or stressful circumstance...  Read More

The Winter Olympics are currently underway as I write this, and there’s an unexpected controversy involving the medals being presented to the athletes. Reports have surfaced that some of the medals ar...  Read More

It is important and healthy for us to look inwardly and allow God to evaluate how we are doing in all areas of our life.  David wrote of this in Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT), “Search me, O God, and know my h...  Read More

What a comfort this verse is! There are two points that jump out at me in the first half of this verse; first, “be still.” For many of us this is actually a very hard command. In this day and age, the...  Read More

Campus family, I sincerely hope you’ve had the joy of meeting my two children, Lottie and Elliott. At the time of writing, Lottie is a vivacious two-and-a-half and Elliott is an adorable five months. ...  Read More

I was really frustrated about something the other day. I felt like I was trying to protect someone and wanted a situation to be different. And I felt that I had the solution for making it so. But it r...  Read More

In the second chapter of the Gospel of John, the first miracle recorded by John is the account of Jesus turning water into wine. The story summarized is this: Jesus, with a few disciples, and some of ...  Read More

Have you ever had a near-death experience? 2023 was a challenging year for several reasons, but it pains me to report that that year had the highest number of school shootings since the incidents star...  Read More

Psalm 51 was written by King David after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband Uriah, who was the captain of his armies and his faithful, loyal servant. Do we serve a forgiving...  Read More

Valentine’s Day. It is declared a “celebration of love,” set on February 14. It has roots in Roman and Christian history. The poets celebrated it with romance and the idea of mating birds. It is invol...  Read More

In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of the world.  Peering into the genetic structure deep inside our cells, they were the first to identify the...  Read More

So many things go on in the life of a believer. The good, the bad, and the ugly. The ups and downs of day-to-day life. While the Christian life often brings great joy and peace, it also includes trial...  Read More

Consider the Lord’s thoughts of love toward each of us today. A love that values us with the very life of God’s Son that was given for us. A love that unconditionally accepts us because of this sacrif...  Read More

Here in Revelation John sends seven letters to seven churches that both praise some churches but also warn against weaknesses. This verse comes from the letter to the church in the Laodicea in which t...  Read More

Growing up, we played a LOT of board games. (Still a favorite hobby, though living with small children makes it difficult.) For some games, we developed “house rules,” additions to the game to make it...  Read More

This has been on my heart so much. I read these verses sometime in the past weeks and I was inspired again by the words “press on.” It’s been a busy time with getting ready for choir to start, and beg...  Read More

I was imagining – maybe a bit irreverently – a conversation in eternity something like this:Jesus:  So, loved one, how are you liking things here in the new heavens and the new Earth?Me:  Lord, it's s...  Read More

Have you ever struggled to figure something out? I fancy myself a person who enjoys solving problems. I’m the guy who enjoys word searches, sudoku, cryptograms, and even the occasional crossword puzzl...  Read More

When I was growing up we always had dinner together as a family. And because my Dad loved salt, there was always a salt shaker on the table. He’d salt his pizza and his French fries. He’d even salt hi...  Read More

It was a day of encounters. It had been a night of disarray. The power went out around 2am. I stumbled around the house in pitch dark. I was trying to remember in my sleep deprived brain where even on...  Read More

Romans 12:12 is an amazing verse.  John Piper calls it “a description of the Christian life,” and I think he’s right.  Here is a strand of three priceless pearls for us to marvel at.  Not only is each...  Read More

We are now 30 days into the new year, with just one more day to round out the first month. As I reflect on the start of this new year, I think about the numerous New Year's resolutions that are made—a...  Read More

Recently, I have been reflecting on God’s grace.  I am realizing in a deeper way how God’s unmerited favor not only brought me to Lord but also is in the process of changing my life to be more like Ch...  Read More

Do you ever have those days where you think “how could God ever love or accept me because of…” The reasons for thinking we are not good enough can often be legion, and the truth is it's true, we are n...  Read More

If you ever have the misfortune to receive an email from me, you’ll notice a few strange words below my email signature. They read Soli Deo Gloria, a phrase in Latin. Why would I include Latin in a pe...  Read More

As I read this I thought growing weary. Sometimes it seems like what we are doing is not having any effect. Laboring doesn't always have quick results. In fact, sometimes we may never know the role we...  Read More

By now, I'm sure we've all heard the New Year's resolution stats, right? Most people don't keep up with their resolutions past February. I personally have been hit-and-miss with mine every year. One o...  Read More

A few years ago, when I was in Israel, I remember taking all kinds of pictures of the Mount of Olives. I had these verses in mind as I pictured what it must’ve been like standing with the disciples as...  Read More

Since November 17, 1971—the day I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior—two passages have risen to become my life verses. The first is Daniel 11:32 “…the people who know their God will display strengt...  Read More

One December we prayed as a family for an opportunity to minister to someone who really needed us this Christmas. As an emergency foster care family, we were fully aware of how many kids needed foster...  Read More

Why do you hurry, since I am eternal? I was getting ready for the man who was coming to tune our piano, moving things out of his way, and getting myself settled in the back bedroom for some Bible time...  Read More

As we draw near to the end of this year, my thoughts turn toward God’s care in my life.  There are many times that I felt all alone.  I may even feel that God is distant when I am dealing with life’s ...  Read More

This week we pause from the routines of life to give thanks for God’s bountiful blessings.  We have so much for which we can give thanks.  We have been blessed beyond anything we deserve…all because o...  Read More

One of the great illusions of our day is that hurrying will buy us more time.  But it just makes us busier.  I read recently that a third of all working adults get less than 6 hours of sleep each nigh...  Read More

This week is Thanksgiving, the forgotten holiday. I call it that because as soon as Halloween is over, anything that wasn’t already themed for Christmas suddenly is, most people start playing Christma...  Read More

This week, we celebrate the classic American holiday, Thanksgiving. As the commercialization of Christmas pushes the season closer and closer to November 1, I firmly believe it’s important to preserve...  Read More

In light of our new mission statement, "Enjoying and sharing the abundant life of Jesus," I have begun praying more about how to reach those that don't know the Lord. When you work at church and most ...  Read More