Recent Devotions
When I sit down to read my Bible, I am not simply spending a dutiful fifteen minutes. Instead, I am on a treasure hunt. With a pencil or highlighter in hand, I read with anticipation, waiting for something to speak to my spirit. Underlining or highlighting those words makes the experience more personal and helps etch them in my heart. This small action trains me to expect discovery—to uncover the nuggets of truth that the Word of God is so rich with. This process came to mind recently as I listened to our administrative assistant address our team. Nastasia shared…
As my husband and I walked out of a grocery store, we were greeted by a brilliant sunset. Pastel pink and purple hues merged with the darkening sky. A few nights later, the sky was decorated with a full moon gleaming over the suburban landscape. Each day, God paints the…
Years ago, my husband and I were traveling and stopped for a meal at a restaurant. As we were leaving, I noticed a box beside the register with entry forms for a free meal. I filled one out and dropped it into the box. A few weeks later, I received…
Readers Loved
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1) Psalm 23 is probably one of the most beloved passages in the Bible. Many of us memorized it as a child and have read it innumerable times since. It is a beautiful psalm. This week I began to ponder the first verse. What does it really mean when it says, “I shall not want”? Have you ever stopped to consider that one simple, yet profound, sentence? It didn’t take me long to decide the verse does not mean God will give me whatever I desire. While God has blessed…
“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…
“Be the light,” a young mother said as she sent her children off to school. “Be what you are! You are light—now walk that way!” It’s a simple charge, yet it reaches into every corner of life. In an age where relative truth and moral confusion pull the world deeper into spiritual darkness, the call to live as children of light has never been more urgent. In Ephesians 5, the apostle Paul shows us what it looks like to walk in a way that reflects who we are in Christ. Walk in Love Read: Ephesians 5:1–2 “Therefore be imitators of…
“Whatsoever things are true… whatsoever things are lovely.” (Philippians 4:8) Some of the most formative and imaginative moments of my childhood took place in the prayer room at our church. Before every service, my parents made it a habit to spend time in prayer before entering the sanctuary. As a small child, accompanying my mother into those dimly lit ladies’ prayer rooms was sometimes unsettling. I would peer through the darkness, wondering who else was there and why God seemed to prefer conversations in the dark! My own simple prayers were usually brief, and before long, my mind would drift…
