Posts with the category “daily-devotionals”

She seemed to come from nowhere, silently gliding into the church aisle. She was maybe 3-4 years old, in her “church clothes†dress, with her long hair cascading down past her shoulders. Delicate l...  Read More

In the spirit of Acts 14, in the last few devotionals I have been sharing an actual report I presented to my local church after a dramatic series of events on a trip to the Philippines just days after...  Read More

Lynette and I moved to Montana in 1980, when I became the pastor of a small Baptist church in a town of 100 people.  God was teaching me a lot about myself and my need to totally depend on His leaders...  Read More

Praise God that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that we stand forgiven if we simply put our faith and trust in Him as our salvation. But we still sin, we still disobey, we still go astray. Wh...  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 ...  Read More

Secrets are so interesting. When you tell a friend you have a secret the first thing they will ask is, "What is it?" And they'll ask you over and over til you finally tell them…because isn't that wh...  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 conclu...  Read More

I think I’ve shared some of my challenges with road rage in the past (God’s not through with me yet.) However, I believe that some of my indignation is justified. For example, have you ever been o...  Read More

Jack was taller, bigger, and more mature and aggressive than all the rest of us boys in my grade school days (k–8). He liked it that way. He enjoyed threatening and tormenting others. More than one ...  Read More

I picked up the pea between my thumb and finger and flicked it across the table at my husband. Our three girls gasped in shock.  Throwing food at the table was not allowed! My husband retaliated with...  Read More

One can only imagine being in the Church of Antioch as the Apostle Paul and his missionary companions shared about the ups and downs of their missionary journey. Missionaries do the same today. Some c...  Read More

Did you know we have a ministry in our church called Re:generation? Most people don’t. And those who have heard about it don’t really know what it is. Some say “Isn't that ministry for recoverin...  Read More

One of the important things I have learned through many years of pastoral ministry is that what we believe to be true affects how we live.   People will either do what is good or bad depending on the...  Read More

I wonder if you’re going through a battle right now?  According to Ephesians 6:12, we’re always facing some form of invisible warfare or another, some form of spiritual attack from our enemy.  A...  Read More

How often do you think about the source of our hope? I guess I could also ask the question, what is our hope? What do we hope for, and what is that hope based on? I think in broad terms we hope that j...  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 “...  Read More

These were a part of the last words Jesus spoke to His disciples. Before this, in John 15, Jesus told them, "I am the vine and you are the branches…" and reminded them how important it is to stay co...  Read More

I don’t know about you, but bumper cars as a kid were my favorite. Even though they hurt sometimes, they were still so much fun. I think part of the reason was they took something that is usually pa...  Read More

The moon was full, giving everything a soft silvery glow. So lovely. My family slept peacefully while I quietly, stepped outside. Bathed in moonlight, I walked to the middle of our backyard and stoppe...  Read More

As a kid, I remember summer break as being a great time to play with friends, go on family vacations and attend VBS at church. But then when August hit, the back-to-school sales started at the local W...  Read More

I have taken lots of evaluations over the years that purport to tell my personality type, my strengths and my giftedness. It does not always seem to come out the same.But what is often at the top for ...  Read More

Missionaries like Paul often report to their churches how they progressed in presenting the gospel to unbelievers and encouraging believers. I have often heard them called “tiger stories.”In the l...  Read More

It is amazing to think of how much God has blessed us as His children.  The Scriptures tell us that He has blessed “us with every spiritual blessing.”  We have not been given some blessings, but...  Read More

The Olympics are currently underway in France, and I am always amazed by the talent, poise, strength, and endurance that the athletes display. We are watching the best of the best compete against each...  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

This is such a great picture of who we are as a family of God. All four of these men needed one another in order to fulfill God’s plan. Joshua needed Moses to hold up the rod, and Moses needed Aaron...  Read More

When our daughter Gracie was about five years old, she became fascinated with ants. Being a supportive and inquisitive-minded father, I bought an Ant Farm online and had it shipped to our house.  I a...  Read More

She fell into my arms.  We both wept tears of joy. It had been about 25 years since our foster daughter was taken from our home. With a big bear hug, my husband Jim exclaimed, “There’s my girl, w...  Read More

In my youth, I was quite the thrill seeker. I enjoyed BMX riding, skateboarding, rollerblading, etc. Once, I even attempted to jump over a broomstick and land on a skateboard using a pogo stick in my ...  Read More

I was sitting in my office at church one morning when the phone rang. I picked it up and heard the voice of a very distraught woman. Through tears she said to me, “Pastor, I lost my job a few weeks ...  Read More

We grew up playing poker in our home. We never bet much – pennies and nickels, in the form of chips. But I love competition. I love winning. Probably the most compulsive drive I have is to win.It wa...  Read More

I’m told that missionaries call dramatic events on the mission field “tiger stories.” The Apostle Paul and his companions traveling with him on their missionary journeys had plenty (Read Acts 13...  Read More

The more I study God’s Word, the more I learn about God’s love.  It is one of those truths in the Scriptures that we will never fully understand.  Our inability to totally understand the depth o...  Read More

Are you in a dark place right now? Are you hurting, in pain, sick, or weary? Are you seeking wisdom for a difficult situation? Do you simply not know where to go or what to do? This verse provides som...  Read More

Theology is important. The essential quality of eternal life, according to John 17:3, is the knowledge of God. But too often, theology is boring. As someone who works with junior highers, I find that ...  Read More

Who do you think said this?? If you guessed Job you would be wrong. It was Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:14–15)! As obedient as he was to take God’s message to his people there were times he wished he did...  Read More

Most people probably don’t think of themselves as strong and courageous.  That’s why we need verses like Joshua 1:9 – to remind ourselves that we can be.  By the grace of God, we can be strong...  Read More

Every generation has its version of slang. In the 1920s for example, "The Bees Knees" was an extraordinary person or thing, "Putting on the Ritz" meant to do something with style, and "iron one's shoe...  Read More

I hear it coming…. a quiet tremble, then a screaming rumble! A shocking boom follows it and then the violent shaking begins. Next, I hear the crashing of items thrown off the counters and watch the ...  Read More

When I was growing up, I remember a famous runner and author named Jim Fixx. Every day he effortlessly ran many miles, had very low body fat and had no indication of any health problems whatsoever. He...  Read More