“The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone.” (Acts 27:20, NLT) First Century travel was nothing like travel today. When we plan a trip, we have numerous options. We can drive, take a train, book a flight, or, for some locations, take a ship. When Paul and his companions traveled, not for vacations but for evangelism, their two primary modes of travel were walking and cargo ships. (Passenger ships as we know them did not exist.) It is estimated that Paul traveled over 10,000 miles during his ministry. In those days, ship travel was risky and shipwrecks frequent. Paul knew this from personal experience. In II Corinthians 11:25 he says this had happened to him during previous travels. “Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep.” This current trip was not a vacation. Nor was it a visit to encourage the churches scattered throughout the region. In Roman protective custody for two years, the Jewish council wanted Paul returned from Caesarea to Jerusalem. As a Roman citizen, Paul claimed his right to an appeal before Caesar and was now…

“Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?” Romans 9:21 A year or two ago, I decided to try a new craft with my two girls: air-dry clay. I had watched many videos and tutorials on how to make adorable little animal figurines and was determined to create some of my own. I (unfortunately) hyped my daughters up and convinced them that they would be masters of air-dry clay in a matter of seconds. You can probably guess how this venture ended. Air-dry clay is a formidable foe, and at the end of one hour, all we had to show for ourselves were dirty hands and a pile of clay that sort of, slightly, not really, resembled a mushroom, a unicorn, and a cow. This led me to wonder, am I sometimes difficult to work with in the hands of God? Do I fight the process, resolving early on that my ways are better and that I understand more than He does? Does my distorted perception interfere with my seeing clearly what God is trying to do in my life? Personally, the answer…

“Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” Psalms 62:8 Have you ever had something you wanted to talk to someone about but thought it might be too heavy for them to handle? That perhaps they would get a glimpse of the deepest, darkest parts of you and run for cover? Or maybe think to yourself that they would never be able to look at you the same way again? We all have sin; it’s just the way it is. We all struggle with different temptations and ungodly desires, but that does not scare God away. He knows about the deep, dark places of our hearts and still loves us unconditionally! Nothing can ever separate you from His unwavering love. This scripture tells us to “pour out our hearts before him.” It does not say “let a little but trickle out.” It tells us to POUR. We can lay it all down before Him today, every thought we struggle with, the bitterness we battle daily to let go of, and the pain from the past that haunts us every day. When you pour it out and get…

“All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.” Hebrews 11:13 Have you ever watched an old clip of Winnie the Pooh and noticed how gloomy Eeyore is? His head is hung, his eyes are pointed toward the ground, and his mood is depressed. If he were real I imagine his body would ache from his poor posture, and his mind would be weary. Some of us have an Eeyore attitude from time to time —I know I do. Down in the dumps, tired, and just worn out from the lows of life. What would happen if we decided to change our position and look up? What would we see? If we strained our eyes and focused a little bit, maybe we could see a promise on its way. If we looked really hard, perhaps we could see God at work in our lives. It’s easy to hang our heads and put no effort into seeing the good, but it requires effort and faith to see beyond current circumstances.…