Posts with the category “daily-devotionals”

When I was in fourth grade, my classmates came up with a nickname for me. They called me Teacher’s Pet. I asked them why they called me that. They said, “Because you are respectful to the teacher, you...  Read More

I am a huge Christopher Nolan fan. If you do not know who Christopher Nolan is, he is one of the most acclaimed directors of the 21st century. To get ready to watch his newest release, The Odyssey, I ...  Read More

Can you remember a time when you were a child and your parents disciplined you for doing something wrong?  For most of us, that would be a long list.  My mom was a softie when it came to discipline, b...  Read More

In the quiet but agonizing moments of Gethsemane, Jesus Himself modeled the deepest form of surrender. As He fell on His face before the Father, He prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup ...  Read More

God not only has fashioned us and put us together the way we are, but He also designs us to accomplish particular things for Him.  We are, “created in Christ Jesus for good works…”   God has planned f...  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

There are many promises in the Bible that can comfort us in times of difficulty. God promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). And we are promised that “for those who love God...  Read More

I don't know why but whenever I think about dying I can get a little fearful. I'm embarrassed to admit that sometimes I wonder, "What if all I have believed in about death and going to be with Jesus d...  Read More

In 2000, I joined a church-planting team in Tokyo. For two years, I struggled with a difficult team leader, wanting many times to give up and go home. During this challenging season, I wrestled with w...  Read More

Simone Biles had been a decorated gymnast for nearly her whole life, leading up to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. I still remember hearing the shocking news that she was withdrawing from the team and all...  Read More

When I was younger – and in much better shape – I used to go on solo backpacking trips in the Sierra mountains.  I would scour the map for a remote lake nestled in a forest and get away for a few days...  Read More

I don’t like soccer. Both my boys played soccer in kindergarten, and from that sport I learned a little bit about their personality and competitiveness. Soccer was explained to both my boys the same w...  Read More

Over the years I’ve hiked all over Yosemite, and there’s nothing more exhilarating than reaching the top of a majestic summit and gazing out on the wonderful world beneath me.This is what I think abou...  Read More

Merriam-Webster’s definition of patience is the capacity to endure delays, trouble, or suffering calmly and without complaint. It is the emotional ability to remain self-possessed and avoid becoming a...  Read More

All of us have gone through times when we have wondered where God was or if He had time to care for us.  With over 8 billion people on our planet, we might feel that we are rather insignificant to the...  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

I enjoy taking personality tests. Not the BuzzFeed “what type of cupcake would you be?” articles, but the ones that deepen my understanding of myself and those around me, like the Myers-Briggs “16 Per...  Read More

As I have been reading through the life of David there have been so many times that "David inquired of the Lord" or that David acknowledged that it was the Lord that helped him. I wonder what David's ...  Read More

Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, I attended many Fresno State basketball games as part of the "Red Wave." Coach Boyd Grant built his teams around discipline, hard work, and defense. That approa...  Read More

The Disney classic Toy Story is a great movie about friendship. In the movie, Woody and Buzz are on quite an epic adventure next door at Sid's house. At one point, both characters find themselves trap...  Read More

If I were to ask you, “Could you use some more wisdom today?”, what would you say? It sounds like a silly question, because I don’t think anyone would say, “No…I’m good.” All of us could use more wisd...  Read More

When I was in elementary school, my parents made me attend different types of  AWANA programs around town. One of the first verses that I learned as a child was  Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and ...  Read More

I’ll never forget the day I almost fell off a wall like Humpty Dumpty.  I must have been around 8 years old, and I was outside playing with my friend Stephen.  For some reason we thought it would be f...  Read More

I grew up during a time when “Password” was a TV game show or a device to keep girls from joining our “Superheroes Save the World” club. Today I live in a world that is inundated by passwords. There a...  Read More

One of the things I enjoy doing in the early morning is going out into our subdivision for a walk.  Now I will be honest, I started walking for exercise because I wanted to improve my physical health....  Read More

I recently had the privilege of attending my dad’s commencement from Re:Gen, which is a Christ-centered discipleship and recovery program designed to help individuals find healing from any kind of lif...  Read More

When my wife and I first started dating, we banned a phrase that we (mostly me) were using too often. That phrase was “you can do it,” including variations like “you got this.” Why in the world would ...  Read More

I've been reading a book by Daniel Henderson entitled Old Paths, New Power. While highlighting how the apostles put men "in charge" in Acts 6:3, Henderson states,"Believers are all set apart to God, f...  Read More

If you grew up in the 1990s, you probably remember the faith-based T-shirt called “The LORD’s Gym.” It was a Christian spin on the iconic Gold’s Gym logo. Beneath The LORD’s Gym emblem was an image of...  Read More

Around this time every year, summer vacation season kicks into full gear. Suitcases come out, flights get booked, road trips begin, and parents suddenly become part-time travel agents, snack distribut...  Read More

Road trips are hit or miss for me. Much of it has to do with the other individuals who are in the car. But the place(s) that we are going to, the type of music we're going to listen to, and MOST IMPOR...  Read More

I was in elementary school when America celebrated its bicentennial on July 4th, 1976. My teachers did a great job explaining that it had been 200 years since the signing of the Declaration of Indepen...  Read More

A while back a group of men at our church finished studying the Book of Ecclesiastes. We spent 21 fascinating and exciting weeks discussing Solomon’s enigmatic message, and I’ve come to the conclusion...  Read More

 "BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS, FOR THEY WILL BE CALLED SONS OF GOD."Matthew 5:9 If someone asked you to give a one-word job title for the Christian, what might you say? I like the term peacemaker whic...  Read More

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked ...  Read More

As some of you may know, I have been facilitating a class here at Campus Bible Church for a number of years now called Financial Peace University. It’s a nine week course by Dave Ramsey to help people...  Read More

While studying at Hillsdale College in southern Michigan, I spent three years in an all-guys dorm, two of them as a resident assistant (RA). My dorm, Galloway, housed around 80 guys, giving it a simil...  Read More

I finished reading 2 Kings the other day and although I could relate to all the congitive information, I was struggling to find a deep spiritual connection with what I was reading. But I learned some ...  Read More

Verses 6 through 10 go on to describe the directions Jesus gives that leads to the miraculous turning of water to wine.  Verse 11 concludes:"This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, a...  Read More

Several years ago, I remember hearing some ridiculous story that just the parking passes for a Taylor Swift concert were being sold for as much as $800 online!  While I certainly don't identify as a “...  Read More