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