Posts with the category “daily-devotionals”

Self-confession: I am an epic fantasy movie junkie. Whether it is The Lord of the Rings, Robin Hood, or any movie about knights set in the Middle Ages, I’m watching. There is an attraction to the idea...  Read More

In my role as a site pastor and a coach, I get a front-row seat to the modern identity crisis. I see it in the youth that I coach as well as the adults that I shepherd. No matter how old you are, ther...  Read More

A few years ago Jenn and I went to a marriage conference at Hume Lake. One of the activities offered was dance lessons. Jenn loves to dance and she is very good at it. I stink. So I said, “Hon, why do...  Read More

In 2018, I had the opportunity to go on an exposure trip to share the gospel. With this opportunity, we had missionaries who could translate for us, and every day during this exposure trip we would he...  Read More

In the Old Covenant, the temple in Jerusalem had a veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place – the Holy of Holies.  I always thought the veil simply represented the holiness of God.  He ...  Read More

One of the books that is often neglected in the Old Testament is Haggai – named after the prophet who lived in the sixth century B.C.  Haggai ministered in the period after the Babylonian exile, when ...  Read More

The last five Psalms of the Book of Psalms are glorious worship hymns that exhort us to praise our God.  They bring into focus the reality that our lives are to bring glory to God, and that we should ...  Read More

As the world seems to descend further into darkness around us, I think it is timely to remember that we as christians were not guaranteed an easy or prosperous life here on earth. Rather we have actua...  Read More

If you’ve spent any amount of time in church, you know there are lots of Bible stories we love. Noah’s Ark, David and Goliath, Jesus walking on water: these decorate our classroom walls and illustrate...  Read More

For the most part I think I have a pretty good track record for not getting too riled up over unexpected problems. Between my husband Gary and I, I'm the one over his shoulder as he's trying to take c...  Read More

It is remarkable that, even after nearly fifty days with the risen Jesus, the disciples—now apostles—still did not understand. Just a few verses earlier, Jesus had given them one clear instruction for...  Read More

Hopefully, when you see a title like “The Rock,” your first thoughts aren’t of Dwayne Johnson or that mid-90s action movie with Sean Connery. While those pop-culture icons might pop into our minds fir...  Read More

I never liked school. I mean, I enjoyed recess, phy ed, and lunch, because all of those involved going out on the playground to play football with my friends. But every year as summer drew to a close,...  Read More

What does it mean to have faith like a mustard seed?  In this verse, Jesus uses an analogy, and I find it interesting that he compares faith to a mustard seed.  I think there are a couple lessons we c...  Read More

How much of our peace depends on something changing?“I’ll have peace when this situation gets resolved.”“When this busy season is over.”“When the relationship gets better.”“When I know what the future...  Read More

God has uniquely fashioned each of us to serve and live for Him.  We all have different personalities, abilities, and spiritual giftedness.  When God combines these things together, we all have specia...  Read More

Have you ever heard the phrase: “keeping up with the Jones’s”? The idea is that if your neighbor or friend or peer has something, you feel the need to have that something as well, or at least equivale...  Read More

I once heard the following line from a stand-up comedian: “On a scale of 1 to 10, parenting is a lot of 1s and a lot of 10s.” This was definitely true of Lauren and my first experience parenting a tod...  Read More

Sometimes I find comfort in being reminded that the Lord is the Lord and there isn't any other god before Him. He is the Lord and no one else has that name. He is God.In the 2nd set of verses He remin...  Read More

There has been a debate in Christianity for centuries over works role in salvation. One camp points to Paul who says to the Christians in Ephesus, “For it is by grace you have been save through faith,...  Read More

A few years ago, I headed out to Millerton Lake with a friend and our sons for a day of fishing. As I stepped off the dock and into the boat, the only thing I told myself was, 'Yeah, this looks stable...  Read More

When I started out in ministry I was a 22-year old, wet-behind-the-ears, fresh out of Bible college, Pastor. I thought I knew it all. I thought I could do it all. Every opportunity for ministry that c...  Read More

On August 1st, my family celebrated my grandpa’s 92nd birthday. It was a good time spent at Yosemite Ranch as we looked to honor the life my grandpa lived. My grandpa was quite the character, talking ...  Read More

When the Israelites crossed the Jordan river and entered the promised land, they encamped near the city of Jericho.  Tensions were high as the people prepared for their first battle with the Canaanite...  Read More

Most of us have encountered the frustration that comes with assembling a furniture item from a box. If not directly, at least second hand, like my daughters watching their dad groan and stomp about in...  Read More

A few years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Israel.  It was my first time to see and experience the Holy Land.  The time we spent at the Sea of Galilee impacted my life.  To see the places wh...  Read More

You ever have those days where you feel you just can’t do it. Maybe you can do some of it but there is just too much, or it’s too hard, or too out of reach. Whatever it is, your best does not seem to ...  Read More

Had everything gone according to plan, I never would have come to Fresno.It was the spring of my sophomore year of college—time to make summer plans. Internships were a big status symbol at my school,...  Read More

I thought this was such a cool passage. The analogies of the weather and how His word melts and nothing can stand against it. But I think what I loved is how He related it all to the way He guides His...  Read More

Years ago, one of the elders said something to me that has stuck ever since. It went something like this; “You know David, worship isn’t just people singing together in church on Sunday mornings. It’s...  Read More

Do you remember the yearbook section that highlighted those who stand out for their superlatives? It was an exaggerated way to both recognize and celebrate people. They often say things like: Most Lik...  Read More

I’ve been a pastor for many years, and I have seen it happen every year. Sunday morning church attendance drops in the summertime. People sleep-in and choose not to come. Or they say “I don’t feel lik...  Read More

When I was in the police academy, our instructors constantly reminded us that, statistically, the most dangerous thing we would do as police officers was also the thing we would do more than anything ...  Read More

Have you ever wondered why people sometimes don’t get healed when we pray for them?  Especially in light of the promise in James 5:14: “the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord ...  Read More

As summer comes to an end, life starts speeding up again. Parents are buying school supplies, students are checking schedules, teachers are preparing classrooms, and families are squeezing in one last...  Read More

“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”  James 1:17Today we live in a world that is co...  Read More

July is when we celebrate our nation’s birthday, our independence. We make quite a big deal about independence, and liberty and freedom in this country, especially in July. But why is that? Why do we ...  Read More

The first time I flew by myself was almost disastrous.I was just shy of 15 years old, flying from my home in Dallas to Erie, PA, where I’d catch a ride to a Christian boys’ leadership training camp in...  Read More

Have you ever contemplated how you respond to the saying, "Living in the moment?" I think I have always thought of it as doing something risky or daring. But recently it has taken on a different meani...  Read More

The apostle James in his epistle to the twelve tribes provides multiple instructions and advisements on how followers of Christ should interact with one another. Acting impartially, caring for the neg...  Read More