Posts with the category “devotional”

Weeping, crying, grieving, gut wrenching emotionally draining overwhelming weeping. I’ve been there and know the agony.  I think we’ve all been there. Perhaps you’re there now. If you are, I am sorry you are hurting. But be encouraged, God cares, and he knows all about your life and your pain. The Bible is filled with many examples of God showing up in the middle of somebody’s darkest moments and ...  Read More

I don’t know about you but there are times when I feel as if I have let Jesus down. May it be the temptation that we let win or the missed opportunities we had to share his love. Just this past week Sarah and I were out on a date night, we went out to the movies and followed that up with dinner. Both times Sarah and I talked about missed opportunities, did we let God down? All the way to the resta...  Read More

It is so easy to become too comfortable or at least used to a tough situation. I remember as my first deployment to Iraq was coming to an end and having a bit of anxiety about leaving. I had arrived several months earlier. One day I am with my family at home with all the security and comfort that goes along with it, then 40 hours later to living and working in the “Green Zone” in downtown Baghdad....  Read More

"If I fail to reaffirm my helplessness daily, then yesterday's victory will lead me to today's defeat."  - Steve Curington This quote lives rent free in my brain, and has since I heard it almost 10 years ago. Today as I was researching for my devotional it popped into my brain once again. I think it is very easy to slip into the mindset that we are in control, that we have it all together, or that...  Read More

Through the work of Jesus, we have access to God the Father! Without the cross, without the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, there is an un-crossable chasm between us and God. BUT… through Jesus, that gap has been closed, and the way has been made for us to “go to God”. To go to God with our hurts, with our needs, with our struggles, with our pain, and with our praise.   Because we are broken and...  Read More

Hope is a powerful word. When all seems lost, hope believes that there is a chance for success, victory, restoration, healing, and many other life-changing goals. I have been in several situations over the years as a pastor where there seemed to be no hope for a marriage, a salvation need, or change of direction, etc. Then, God “showed up” in a person’s life, and the rest is history. Now, that per...  Read More

Main Point and Overview:    The coming murder of Jesus would cause the corrupt culture to celebrate, while his disciples would mourn. It seemed like all hope was lost. The popular words that we sing in Death was Arrested come to mind: “Our savior displayed on a criminal's cross. Darkness rejoiced as though heaven had lost. But then Jesus arose with our freedom in hand. That's when death was arrest...  Read More

 Have you ever had a scary dream where you found yourself walking on a cold concrete floor down a long dimly lit corridor and you sense that you are being watched, you feel so restricted, the tensions mount, there is no one to help you and no way out. And whew, what a relief, you wake up and realize that it’s just a bad dream.  For many, it’s not a bad dream, it’s real life, and it’s worse than th...  Read More

It is safe to say that winter has welcomed itself to Michigan, I am not sure about you, but I did not welcome it in. For me I love the Christmas season, but I dread the cold. I know that with Christmas and snow comes those sub degree temperatures that feels like we live at the North Pole! The simple task of taking the trash out and letting the dog out to go to the bathroom becomes something I don'...  Read More

Paul and Silas were in Philippi. On one particular morning, they were heading to a place of prayer. While heading there, they were greeted and followed by a slave woman possessed by a spirt that enabled her to predict the future. The spirit in her recognized the Holy Spirit in Paul and Silas, and subsequently called out proclaiming who they were and what they were doing. She got so obnoxious about...  Read More

As I write this devo in the quietness of my home, next to the twinkling of the Christmas tree lights, my children safely tucked into bed, after doing our nightly bible study, prayers, and songs…reading this passage of scripture feels surreal—as it should for you. Most of you, whoever may be reading, are probably doing something similar as you read this devotional. You might be reading this, hopefu...  Read More

What is God’s will for my life and your life? It’s one of those abstract, paradoxical, mysterious, and often unanswerable questions that we sometimes ask as we look ahead to what’s next in our lives, as we consider the future, and when we contemplate our hopes, dreams, plans, and pursuits. We ponder how our desires, and the providence of God might go hand in hand. But where do we look? How do we m...  Read More

I got my first taste of it when I was in early high school. After church one warm summer day, our youth group went into the adjacent neighborhood to our church building to pass out flyers for our upcoming Vacation Bible School. As I happily went “door to door” to invite our neighbor’s children to our annual summer outreach, what happened next, I will never forget. I came to a house, and what appea...  Read More

Main Point and Overview:    Pressure is often the dividing line between a committed and a complacent Christian. No one truly looks to happily engage with pushback, but when it’s inevitable, the authentic disciple doesn’t run away from it! Jesus made it clear to his disciples that Christianity was NOT a movement of popularity but of purpose. Being a disciple was not going to give them a life of eas...  Read More

Growth. Spiritual growth is vital to deepen our relationship with God, and spiritual maturity should be the desire of every Christian. Pastor John reminded us in this week’s main point and overview; “the key to avoiding such a superficial faith is spelled out in one word…remain! The idea of remaining in Christ is also explained as abiding in Christ.” Remain does not mean to be stagnant or complace...  Read More

Picture this, you are listening to your friend tell this amazing story of what they just did during their vacation. For some it may be about the “giant” fish they caught or the cliff they climbed and jumped off of, no matter the story it's like it's too big to be true. I think it is safe to say at some point or another we have heard a story of something that just seemed to be “ehhhh...not believab...  Read More

I think we all have at least one friend that we can tell anything to. The one we pour our heart out too because we know that we can trust them. Friends like that are special gifts. I was able to spend some extended time this summer with my dearest friend, other than my husband of course, and the time was much needed and refreshing. I came home with new perspectives on some things. It was wonderful...  Read More

One of, if not the main, misconceptions that people believe about Christians is that life becomes easier once you have been saved. Let me say, I know from experience, there is not a shred of truth to that statement. The moment you are saved, you have entered the phase of sanctification…the process of becoming holy and becoming more like Jesus. The pruning process of sanctification is where the rub...  Read More

*Don’t try this at home, kids!*The first week of summer camp was quickly approaching, and the job of a lifeguard in the weeks leading up to camp, were just about anything and everything… except lifeguarding. The days were filled from start to finish with grounds and landscaping work. We did a little bit of everything from mowing and weed trimming, to clear-cutting and brush clean up, putting docks...  Read More

One of the worst experiences of my life turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life – I was fired from my first church. Now, before anyone freaks out, my dismissal had everything to do with philosophy and nothing to do with character or morality. To make a long story short, I started as a 22-year-old two weeks after my college graduation in the small town of Goodells, Michigan, as the ...  Read More

Main Point and Overview:    “Being in the building doesn’t make you a part of the team!” Remember, that was Judas. He professed Jesus, but his heart was far from Kingdom of God priorities. Jesus in some of his most impactful words, on the verge of sacrificing his life, gave a pointed challenge about authenticity. In fact, he used the imagery of Israel’s most prized symbol to make his point. The vi...  Read More

According to the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans”, women are supposed to have 1-2 cups of fruit per day and men should eat 2-2.5 cups per day (sorry guys!). Thankfully, fruit is pretty desirable. It's packed with natural sugars making it a no brainer to eat! Check out the produce aisle, the fruit seems endless! From blueberries and strawberries, to star fruit and dragon fruit (What even are thos...  Read More

The title of this devotional triggered a memory of my childhood of an Energizer Bunny commercial from 2004, “I’VE GOT THE POWER”…..it also triggered memories of harmonizing with my Grandma singing “Power in the Blood” on a Sunday morning with our hymn books in hand—remember those? Fun memories, but in the seriousness of these words…. If you have placed your hope in Jesus Christ, repented of your s...  Read More

When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we were instantly filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is something that the disciples did not understand at the time of Jesus’ death. We see over and over disciples asking Jesus what he means when he talks about leaving. Jesus calls them out in today's verses, none of them asked where he would be going. However, Jesus tells the discipl...  Read More

When we look at what Jesus is saying here, it could easily be viewed as discouraging. Jesus goes straight to the point and says that the world will hate us. The world is going to persecute us. We will be treated poorly. We are going to face many oppositions and trials. Jesus doesn't just say that these things could happen, he says they will happen. All of this will happen because we choose to foll...  Read More

I fear that sometimes in our lives, it’s easier to run, to stray, and to wander away. The more numb you can grow toward the pursuit of God in your life, the grip he has on your soul, and the weight with which he convicts your heart, the better chance we feel we have to live a peaceable life. If there is no one around to convict, to question, and to challenge us, then we can eat, drink and be merry...  Read More

Sometimes we need someone to talk to in the midst of a struggle. I have had the privilege over the years of counseling several couples who were on the verge of divorce. What they needed was God’s Word in a practical and achievable approach. When they decided to obey the truth that I was conveying, God did the miracle in their lives saving their marriages. There is a simple method for success, all ...  Read More

Main Point and Overview:    The disciples were dependent on Jesus, and Jesus was about to ascend back to God the Father in heaven. They never “signed up” for Jesus to leave them. In fact, they were absolutely not ready for it. It’s such a teachable moment for all of us. Would it be easier for a young child to ride his bike with training wheels for the rest of his life? Would it be easier to bowl w...  Read More

Here we are on the cusp of entering Thanksgiving week. Thanksgiving these days seems to be less of a time celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year, and more about shopping for the best Black Friday deals and putting up the Christmas tree. Christmas can be such a fun and exciting season, but for many, it can be a time of grief, sadness, and financial struggle.  I recall one such...  Read More

I was born a worrywart. Growing up, my siblings would tease me incessantly. Over the years I’ve gotten much better and don’t sweat the small stuff, but my wife would readily admit that I still tend to over-think things (a euphemism for worrywart, which I prefer). I tend to think things out to the second or third ripple. Now my wife would also admit that this “over-thinking” saved our bacon more th...  Read More

Worry: give way to anxiety or unease; allow one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. Why is it that we all struggle with worrying. We could find almost anything to worry about if we really wanted to. For myself, I worry about everything. Ever since I can remember I wanted to make friends with anyone and everyone, but I always had the thought in the back of my mind what if they don't want to ...  Read More

This passage in John 14 is packed with some incredible truth, we have to see and understand what is going on. To start, we see one of my favorite verses, which is also a great verse to use when sharing the gospel. John 14:6 "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  Jesus lets us in on a very important truth. He is the only way we can...  Read More

John 14:1-7 holds a very special place in my heart. Whenever I hear it, or whenever I read it, the words bring feelings that are near and dear, a reminiscence that now only lives as a thought and memory in my heart and mind. When I was 14-15 years old, my Great Grandmother came to live with us as her sight and memory started to decline. It was a short but sweet time that I will never forget. As th...  Read More

The word “love” is being tossed all over our culture today. Just Google it, and you will find a thousand examples. Sadly, there are as many twisted versions as there are quotes, memes, and sayings. It has become a very trendy thing to talk about, but not to “be about it.”Jesus understood what he was facing...The Cross. Shockingly, his disciples did not. In fact, they were still consumed with an ea...  Read More

Main Point and Overview:    Have you ever said something over and over to someone, but that person was simply not listening? Or, better yet, have you ever watched a person put off certain responsibilities only to be shocked when the “due date” arrived, and he or she wasn’t prepared? That was the disciples of Jesus! He had been telling them over and over that he came to die for the sins of the worl...  Read More

Hurricane Ike was a deadly and devastating storm that occurred in 2008. Some of the greatest damage took place on the Bolivar Peninsula in Texas, where the storm surge exceeded the island's elevation, leading to an onslaught of flood water and caused extreme coastal change. We were visiting family not too far from that area and decided to take a drive to check out the aftermath of the storm.  It w...  Read More

Back in the early 70’s, Coca Cola’s ad campaign included the jingle “It’s the real thing, Coke is.” It stuck, and to this day for those of us old enough to remember, we make that association. Coke marketed itself as the one, true legitimate cola drink. Some argue that it is Pepsi that is the legit cola, but it really boils down to personal preference. “Legitimacy” has a myriad of applications. Oft...  Read More

I think we can all think of a time when we were betrayed. Whether it was a funny moment or a serious one. Betrayal often brings hurt and pain into our lives. Sometimes when it is a funny betrayal you can get some laughs though. I remember back in my early days of youth ministry, I was betrayed by our Children's Pastor, Matt Hatton, at our previous church. We were having this youth event, and I cam...  Read More

The Cross, the powerful moment where Jesus Christ takes our place and defeats death right then, for good, for all those who believe in him. At times I feel like we have it easier than the apostles as they did not know what was about to happen, where we on the other hand know the full story from start to finish. Every time I read these verses I feel for the disciples and those around Jesus as they ...  Read More

John 12:4-6 “But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it..” What motivates you? What gives you purpose? What is th...  Read More