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It's About Jesus
Personal Devotion
Spending time in personal devotion to God is crucial for deepening one's spiritual relationship and fostering a sense of inner peace and guidance. This dedicated time allows individuals to reflect on their faith, seek wisdom, and find solace in prayer and scripture. Personal devotion helps align one's life with God's will, offering clarity and direction in daily decisions and challenges. It also provides a space for personal growth, repentance, and renewal, strengthening the foundation of one's faith.
2026: Choose You This Day
“Choose this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14–15) Sometimes, life stops feeling like a conversation and becomes a crossroads. Joshua stands up in front of a whole nation, and he doesn’t give them a cozy pep talk. He gives them a decision. Notice what Joshua doesn’t do: he doesn’t host a committee meeting. He doesn’t ask for a six-month discernment process. He doesn’t invite everyone to keep their options open. He poi
In the Ring with Jesus.
“If anyone wants to follow me, let them deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23–24 Jesus doesn’t ease into his teaching. He doesn’t frame it as a suggestion or dress it up as a motivational quote. He looks at the crowd—and at us—and says plainly: “Take up your cross and follow me.” That sentence lands like a punch, forcing a decision. Stay in the ring or get out? The gospel always offers this choice. It presses beyond what we feel or admire and
God With Us—Even Here
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. 20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as you
A Heart God Can Hear
“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has heard the words of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.”Psalm 66:18–20 (NRSV) There’s a simple truth tucked inside this psalm: God listens to hearts that are open to Him. The writer says, “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” It’s a reminder that when we hold on tightl
A Quiet Room, A Listening Father
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6 (NIV) Sometimes life feels loud. The phone dings. The schedule fills. The worries stack up like laundry waiting to be folded. And in the middle of all that noise, Jesus gives us a simple invitation: “Come talk with Me.” Notice, he doesn’t ask us to pray fancy prayers or impress anyone. He doesn’t tell u
When the Road Isn’t Clear
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. — Proverbs 3:5–6 (NRSV) There comes a point in every believer’s life when faith grows from something we know in our heads to something we live with our whole hearts. It’s the moment when we stop trying to figure everything out and start trusting that God already has. Proverbs 3:5–6 invites us into that deeper place. It reminds u
One More Step
James 4:8 – “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” I once spotted a bumper sticker that read, “If God feels far away, guess who moved.” I chuckled, then felt a little ouch of truth. It’s amusing how we often assume God has left us, when in reality He hasn’t changed His address . We’re the ones who wander off. All of us experience times when God feels distant – prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling, or our hearts feel cold. In those seasons, it’s worth remember
Every Step!
Romans 5:10 – “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life.” Before you ever prayed a prayer, shed a tear, or took a step toward God, God had already taken every step necessary toward you. You are not saved because you believe; you believe because God has already saved you through Jesus. Faith doesn’t cause salvation—it opens your eyes to it. Repentance d
This is the Will of God.
“ It is God’s will that you should be sanctified…” 1 Thessalonians 4:3 Sanctification is a big word with a simple meaning—it’s about letting God make us more like Jesus. It’s not a question of whether God wants to do that. God absolutely does. The question is— do we want to let it happen ? Are we willing to let God do all that God already made possible through the cross? Are we willing to let Jesus shape our hearts, renew our minds, and fill our lives so that His life shines
The Family Name
John 1:12 – “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Some years ago, I watched a soldier crouch down to greet his little one at the airport. The child came running through the crowd—arms outstretched, backpack bouncing, tears in eyes—and the father knelt low enough to catch her. That’s what John is talking about here. “To all who did receive him…” —not the perfect, not the polished, not the people who al
The Gift of Grace
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no...
Sometimes You Have to Growl a Little.
In our family, we have a problem brewing. I envision a day when it is time to distribute the baby pictures. With Catherine, our oldest,...
Mirrors on the Mountain
There’s a little town in Austria called Rattenberg. It sits in the shadow of a 3,000-foot mountain, and from November to February, the...
Bigger Better, Stronger & Wiser
This group of men went to war together and believed in their cause. They pledged their lives, their assets and their honor to their...
I will not leave you orphaned.
Most people believe that pastors are a sort of anomalous creature that grew up in a home staffed by one dad, one mom, siblings who loved...
Behold, I Make All Things New
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[ a ] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any...
Jesus and Garfield
Years ago, when my children were ages 3, 4 & 9 (our youngest wasn’t here yet), we had a cat named Garfield. During the winter, Garfield...
Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, Hosanna!!!
12 The next day, the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm...
Lost
Have you ever felt lost? “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[ a ] and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house, and...
Two Sides of Water
Since I was a little boy, I have been fascinated with water. My mother tells the story of when I was ten, I grabbed the garden hose and...
The Power of Shame.
"The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and, making her stand before all of them, they said to...
It's a Dog Eat Dog World
The world doesn’t know a lot about second chances. There aren’t many. There are a few gracious situations from time to time. But...
5 Time Management Truths
Time flies at the speed of angel wings but does not fly backward. Forward only, time marches on and stops for no one. Yesterday, I was...
You Be Good
“Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.” -1 Thess....
Scarcity or Abundance
“For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied, and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the...
Five Ways to Invest in the Future
I believe in tomorrow. I think God will continue to raise up Godly leaders who will lead the next generations to Jesus. I am...
The Shout House & Jesus?
Some years ago Beverly and I spent a weekend in December, in Minneapolis Christmas shopping. It was a glorious weekend. We stayed at a...
Bearer of God
In our tradition, we don’t say much about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Personally, I think we should pay more attention to Mary. The Bible...
Advent Waiting
The Christian season of Advent is about waiting, which is a topic I know a bit about. As a soldier, I can confidently say, “If they gave...
Voices
Matthew 3:1-6 In those days, John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of...
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