Posts with the category “daily-devotionals”

In the summer after my 7th grade year, I took part in the Foothill community production of “Fiddler on the Roof”.  I played an ensemble role as one of the sons in a Jewish community.  I have some poig...  Read More

I still remember vividly the exact moment I received some of the most crippling news of my life. My wife, Alexis, called me to tell me that the lump she’d had biopsied days earlier was, in fact, cance...  Read More

I’m a runner. Well, actually, more of a jogger, or even shuffler. But I enjoy running. My favorite time to run is in the mornings. I get up, get on my running clothes and shoes, grab my iPod and headp...  Read More

Growing up, I often thought about my own mortality. Even now, at 28 years old, I find myself thinking about how quickly time passes. In May 2027, it will have been ten years since I graduated from hig...  Read More

When I was about nine years old, a neighborhood friend of mine probably saved my life.  It was a beautiful sunny day during summer vacation. Steven and I were sitting on top of a block wall talking wh...  Read More

“Forgive and forget”. Doesn’t God do this when we confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness? Jeremiah 31:34 finishes with “…for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more....  Read More

Even though David penned this psalm thousands of years ago, it still hits a responsive chord in all of our lives today.  Life is unpredictable and we need a safe refuge when problems arise.  Through t...  Read More

One of the most common objections I hear from people regarding christianity is “why does a good God allow suffering?” I think it’s a question that a lot of people wrestle with and struggle to answer, ...  Read More

If you haven’t heard the phrase before, “gospel magic” might strike you as strange. After all, Scripture has strong words against what it calls “sorcery” (Galatians 5:20, Deuteronomy 18:10-11). Whenev...  Read More

Have you noticed that sometimes during great rejoicing there can coincide times of great sorrow? The wise men rejoiced because they continued to see the star that led them to Jesus and they were able ...  Read More

Over the last couple of months, I’ve made several trips to Sacramento for work, spending a few hours each way on Highway 99.For one trip, I checked out a Rivian from our company vehicle pool. The firs...  Read More

When David led the assembly of Israel in offering gifts for the construction of the Temple, he was preparing a house of worship he would never step foot inside of. God had made it clear that the compl...  Read More

I went on a mission trip to at Christian camp called “Twin Rocks Bible Camp”. It was tucked away in the hills of southeastern Kentucky. There were beautiful trees, winding trails and flowing streams. ...  Read More

What is something you have wanted so badly that you thought having it would make your life better?For me, growing up, it was the newest PlayStation. I loved my PlayStation 2, but after seeing a friend...  Read More

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible on prayer.  In my book, it ranks right up there with Hebrews 11:6 and 1 John 5:14-15.  It begins with three mind-blowing promises for those who A.S.K. – ...  Read More

In and around my house I have lots of different succulents and cactuses. I like succulents; they are hearty, easy to care for, and transplant well. Aesthetically, they have so many wildly unique featu...  Read More

In June of 1980, my family and I moved to Montana.  Little did we know what great adventure and ministry were waiting for us there.  After getting settled in, on a beautiful Montana summer day, we dro...  Read More

When was the last time you took a moment and wondered at all the creation around you. It is really easy to get micro focused in our busy lives and just go about our day to day without ever taking time...  Read More

“Do you think Adam would have sinned if God had never created Eve?” asked one of my students a few Sundays ago. In some sense, it may be an unhelpful question: to quote Aslan from The Chronicles of Na...  Read More

Have you ever had one of those weeks that have been a roller coaster of emotions?  Anger, frustration, grief, trust. This was one of those for me. That's why when I read this I felt such great love an...  Read More

The Bible provides many reassuring verses confirming that God hears and answers the prayers of His people. 1 John 5:14 highlights a profound truth: you can have complete confidence that God is listeni...  Read More

If you haven’t heard by now, I love movies. Action/adventure films like Indiana Jones or Jumanji are filled with dangerous terrain and daring escapes, but beneath the surface, they reveal one foundati...  Read More

I started out in vocational ministry as a Youth Pastor. I ran what I call a “competition model of youth ministry”. Wednesday night was our outreach night. I wanted every student to find a non-Christia...  Read More

Growing up, one of the biggest questions I wrestled with was, “Why are we all here?” I grew up in a Christian home, but the pain and suffering I saw in the world—and experienced in my own life—sometim...  Read More

If you could be any animal you wanted to be, which one would you choose? I’ve always thought it would be fun to be a dolphin.  They seem happy and playful.  Plus I love the ocean.  But if I could be a...  Read More

Philippians 2:3-5 is my least favorite scripture. Why? Because of the first 2 words, DO NOTHING. Every time I read  this passage, I am convicted of some specific recent time in which I have ignored th...  Read More

Each day God desires for us to press on toward His goals for our life.  The word “press” expresses an intense endeavor.  We are to move intently toward God’s desires for our lives and make this a patt...  Read More

These days it is not uncommon to hear the christian walk being touted as nothing but a prosperous one. God is love and wants the best for you so everything will always be ok. If you are really walking...  Read More

I went to school at Hillsdale College, a school of about 1500 students in southern Michigan. (I don’t miss the Michigan winters.) All students at Hillsdale sign a statement called the “Honor Code” whe...  Read More

Every time I read this passage my mind goes to Genesis 2:7, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." T...  Read More

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