Posts with the category “daily-devotionals”

A few days ago I had my wisdom teeth removed. All four of them. They were fully grown, non-impacted, and according to my dentist, the “dirtiest teeth” in my mouth. They were hard to clean, starting to...  Read More

The people’s lives that are recorded in biblical history are people just like us.  They struggled with many of the same daily pressures that we deal with today.  They worked hard to provide for their ...  Read More

This verse comes in the middle of a passage, verse 12-17, describing the character of the “new person in Christ.” I would encourage you to read the whole passage as a reminder of what our life should ...  Read More

Do you remember your first car? It likely wasn’t the fanciest or the fastest, but you might remember it fondly anyway. My first car was, well… different.Our family car when I was growing up was a dull...  Read More

The Lord continued to teach me more about delegating through this verse. When there is a need it can be so easy to just "fill a position" with someone who has the ability to do it. I think that's how ...  Read More

The Beatitudes are full of ageless wisdom handled down from Jesus at the very beginning of His ministry. This represents His first recorded teaching after gathering his 12 Disciples. The Beatitudes se...  Read More

One of my favorite sports movies is “Remember the Titans,” starring Denzel Washington and Will Patton. The 2000 film is based on the true events of T.C. Williams High School’s 1971 (*spoiler alert) ch...  Read More

It’s like the young mother I heard of the other day. She was having ‘one of those days’. She was looking after three sick kids, running around like crazy. The phone rang and the caller wanted to speak...  Read More

Today I talked to a surgeon about my knee (12/26/25). It was not long ago that I almost despaired about becoming permanently handicapped, for the rest of my life, and in pain all the time! I could not...  Read More

If there was a TV show called “Dumbest Campers in America,” I would be on it. One year my friend and I reserved a campsite in Yosemite Valley, and we had trouble lighting our campfire.  But we had ple...  Read More

One of my classroom teacher routines that I introduced a few years ago is to have a daily quote on the board (followed by a couple of “dad jokes”) that I read in the beginning of class.  Many are insi...  Read More

As Christians we are God’s unique creation.  God has made us what we are. We are an important part of the “new creation,” the body of Christ.  At the moment of salvation we were placed in this body an...  Read More

This is one of those verses that for me when I read it, I can easily think, yeah I can do that. But then someone wrongs me, and my thoughts immediately turn to revenge. I think it’s a primitive view o...  Read More

One of the most formative experiences of my childhood was participating in a competition called the National Bible Bee. Imagine a spelling bee with kids and teens reciting Bible verses instead of obsc...  Read More

This suggestion came from Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, when he saw Moses sit in judgment of the people all day long from morning until evening. Jethro counseled Moses to appoint men over smaller grou...  Read More

COMPASSION: “A deep awareness of and sympathy for another person’s suffering, coupled with a strong, active motivation to alleviate that distress.”1I hate throwing up! In my childhood, catching a flu ...  Read More

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