Posts with the category “daily-devotionals”

Today we live in a stress filled world and it is often difficult to keep a proper perspective.  Our minds are often distracted from truth, and we see life from a skewed perspective.  When this happens...  Read More

Anywhere in this world I think, but especially here in America it is easy to lose sight of the eternal while chasing after the material and temporel. As Christians we are called to follow the cause of...  Read More

I love working with kids. I’ve worked with kids or youth in some form since I was eleven years old. I’ve been told that something in my persona “switches on” whenever I interact with kids and teens. I...  Read More

As I was working on our Easter Walkthrough I realized increasingly that I needed to be more exact. Sometimes I would think I was being clear with descriptions or instructions, because I’ve done it so ...  Read More

Having recently studied God’s creation, and with spring now in full bloom, I am reminded of the seasons of the year. Just as there are seasons in nature, there are also seasons in life. There are time...  Read More

When was the last time you upgraded your phone? The truth is, a quick Google search will tell you that most folks upgrade phones every two to three years to the “new and improved" version. And whether...  Read More

We talk a lot about financial management at church, but we don’t often talk about time management. In fact, it’s interesting that we use the word ‘spend’ when it comes to our money, but we also use th...  Read More

I was religious for the first 29 years of my life. Then I got saved. After that I spent 3 years trying to decide what to do about a church to attend, reading God’s word and praying diligently. And dir...  Read More

There is a promise from God in Scripture for every conceivable situation we may encounter in life.  And since we’re always facing some sort of situation – a need, a trial, a perplexing dilemma, a deci...  Read More

We live in anxious times. People are facing all kinds of challenges, trials, and uncertainties in their daily lives. With everything happening in the world around us, it’s not surprising that many peo...  Read More

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the core of Christianity.  Each year we pause on Good Friday to remember all that Christ suffered to provide our salvation.  Easter morning we celebrate Christ conq...  Read More

This is a powerful verse, a convicting verse, and the answer to anyone who asks, “Do I need a savior?” The answer to that question is of course a very solid YES. The great equalizer among humans is th...  Read More

What do people expect of teenagers? Not much, according to Google. Typing in “teenagers and” in the search engine results in suggestions like “teenagers and social media,” “teenagers and depression,” ...  Read More

Sometimes you just need to hear assurance from the Lord.My grandson was diagnosed with Leukemia this last year. He went through chemo, radiation and then a stem cell transpoant. He's had his ups and d...  Read More

Fear of the Dark.  I think this is a very common phenomenon that most people experience in their lifetime. As we get older, I think most of us grow out of our fear of the dark and yet I believe many o...  Read More

I remember a while ago asking students what they’d do for a million dollars. I quickly learned that the question should have been, “What wouldn’t you do for a million dollars?” I asked questions like:...  Read More

I woke up this morning and slid open my phone, and there were texts with pictures from home.  The Midwest got hit with a major snow storm last night. My Dad in Chicago was out snow blowing his drivewa...  Read More

What happened on that Easter Morning? There arose a Shepherd, gentle and humble in heart. One who beckons the weary, “Come to Me.” The wrath of God which had been poured out now lies silent, while Jes...  Read More

When I was in Elementary School, I had a great friend who lived on the other side of town where I grew up.  During summer vacation, we were allowed to walk, run, skateboard, or ride bikes to each othe...  Read More

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