Posts with the category “daily-devotionals”

Many times, God uses what has happened in my past or present to drive home a lesson He wants me to learn. This week, God took me back to the time my children were little.My daughter stumbled into the ...  Read More

Sunsets are often popular to look at. There is a natural beauty as one watches the day sky turn to night, often bringing out some of the most beautiful colors in all of creation. Darkness sneaks in gr...  Read More

One thing I love about the Bible is, it’s not afraid to tell us about the failures of its heroes. If I were to ask you about a hero in the Bible who failed, it probably wouldn’t be long before you’d c...  Read More

It was a frustrating morning. I got up at 4:30am and pulled the nightlight out of the socket. I grabbed the one from the other bathroom, plugged it in and tried it. Still no good! I laid back down in ...  Read More

The initials CV in Latin refer to “Curriculum Vitae”—a course of life. It is a summary of one’s accomplishments often used in applications for roles in academia, scientific research, medical fields, a...  Read More

Today, we need to live each day with “great expectation.”  We have a living hope, because Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.  Because of what Christ has done for us, we have “an inheritance that is ...  Read More

Recently I was reading through the Book of Leviticus.  My tendency is to speed through the opening chapters because the regulations for the sacrifices are very detailed and repetitive.  But this time ...  Read More

Here in Micah, just prior to this verse the prophet is crying out a question. How can I please the Lord? He asks if it requires thousands of rams, or rivers of oil, or his firstborn for the sins of hi...  Read More

There are many strange proverbs and idioms in the English language. But there’s one in particular, one my parents sometimes told me as a teenager, that confused me for a long time: “Nothing good happe...  Read More

Going through the old testament there are so many times when a group of people stray from following the Lord and then he strikes them by conquering armies, an evil judge or even possibly famine or pla...  Read More

My wide-eyed, startled young daughter stood poised with a black marker by her artwork on the wall. Guess how she answered when I knowingly asked, “Who wrote with black marker on the wall?” “Not me!” w...  Read More

Is it me, or are there days that just feel impossible? Frustrations pile up, setbacks stall, and devastating news feels like it paralyzes. Times like these remind me of one of the darkest times in my ...  Read More

The events of the last few weeks have been nothing short of tribulation not only in our nation, but even in our church. Yesterday I watched some of the Charlie Kirk memorial service held in Glendale, ...  Read More

Although I seldom show it, I am a very sensitive person, emotional in my inner man. Much more than Lynn is, in her way. When I was young, I felt this sensitivity to only be a weakness, and wanted to c...  Read More

Want to start a fight—a virtual holy war among a number of denominations? Just move a ladder that has been leaning for hundreds of years against a second story window at the Church of the Holy Sepulch...  Read More

I am finding that I need the peace of God more and more as I live each day.  My mind needs to learn to rest in the person and character of our Lord.  The scripture reveals to us the truth of who the L...  Read More

The average adult between 18 and 64 needs between 7-9 hours of sleep, but recent studies show that 35% of Americans are sleep-deprived, and 50% struggle with feeling sleepy throughout the day. If you ...  Read More

So often in our prayer time we focus on what we need or want, what we are struggling with or fearful of. They are often prayers that are ultimately cries for help in some way from God. Now there is no...  Read More

One of the most unusual experiences I had growing up in youth group was something called “Stump the Chump.” On the first Sunday of every month, our high school pastor, Jason, would replace our regular...  Read More

This past week has been a jumble of emotion for my family as we began the discovery that my grandson, Keegan, has PH-B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia.Along with the agony my son and daughter-in-law and t...  Read More

Let's be honest. We've all had days that feel impossible. Maybe little frustrations pile up until they’re too much, or some difficult news hits you hard. Friendships. Family. Bad news. Illness. Loss. ...  Read More

Antique auctions were great fun for me. I would bid on antique treasures, restore them and sell them, often making a good profit. I remember the day I first saw the piece of furniture that now lives i...  Read More

Last night was the first time we were able to sleep with our windows open. The temperature outside at bedtime was less than what we set our AC at. The blistering Fresno summer is starting to settle do...  Read More

I have always loved children. Maybe because I was raised in a large family, I am not sure. After I became a Christian, I thought that I would love to work in the nursery, with the babies! But I have a...  Read More

While in Bethlehem a shopkeeper gave me a small antique juglet. The Certificate of Authenticity pointed out this antiquity came from the Late Bronze Age, around the time King David reigned.Such a simp...  Read More

Through the years, I have traveled to many places where I was unfamiliar with the roads.  As in typical male fashion, I often would not ask for directions.  I figured we were close to our destination ...  Read More

There are a lot of wonderful promises in the Bible, but one of my favorite has to be the promise of God’s presence.  The ESV translation contains the phrase “I will be with you” eleven times and “I am...  Read More

This verse is often called “the Shema, it's a prayer and declaration of faith, proclaiming the oneness of God and our obligation to love Him. It was recited to affirm who God is that Israel would not ...  Read More

September is one of my favorite months for the year. It’s usually the first breath of cooler fall weather after the monotony of Fresno’s unrelenting summer heat. It’s also a season of celebration for ...  Read More

This week I started reading Psalms. I have been comforted by the times the Lord reminds me that He is my shield...I went to my sister’s house in Las Vegas for my annual “sibling” vacation with her and...  Read More

I have always looked for teachable moments with my kids with the goal of creating a hunger and thirst for God. One day a lesson came in a most unexpected way. It had been storming for a few days as th...  Read More

Have you ever felt abandoned? I remember feeling that way after high school. Shortly after I graduated, I looked back at my four years of high school, thinking those were the best years of my life. I ...  Read More

When we moved to California five years ago we were so thankful to be this close to so much of the world’s beauty; Yosemite, Tahoe, the ocean, streams, waterfalls, The Grand Canyon, and so much more. B...  Read More

As Lynn and I get older and think about our future, we consider the need to get closer to where our daughter, Anne lives, 5 miles south of Easton, on Elm Ave. I have made known my plans to “retire” fr...  Read More

The story is told of a soldier in the army of Alexander the Great, who was brought before the great world conqueror for court martial. When the emperor had listened to the charges and the evidence, he...  Read More

Some of you may know that I grew up on a farm in northern California.  Our family farm was just 18 miles north of Chico in the northern part of the Sacramento valley.  My parents moved to the farm in ...  Read More

I once heard a story about a man who went to see an eye doctor.  The receptionist asked him what kind of problem he was having.“I keep seeing spots in front of my eyes,” came the answer.“Have you ever...  Read More

We read in Hebrews 11:1 that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The dictionary definition of faith is a complete trust or confidence in something or someone....  Read More

Pop quiz: what makes Christianity different from other world religions? On the one hand, we could point to a myriad of differences, all the distinctive points of Christian theology: the Trinity, the d...  Read More

This is a passage in the account of when Balak, the king of the Moabites was afraid when he and his people saw how Israel defeated the Amorites. So they tried to enlist Balaam to come and curse the Is...  Read More