Before heading to college I made a decision. This decision gave me a desire to pray I would find good Christian friends when I arrived at college. I think this might have been the only difference between myself and those who didn’t pray for this? I’d already chosen. I had decided. I knew. This decision... Continue Reading →
Devotional Thoughts: Global Praise
The book of Psalms is full of expressions to God. Some cry out to God for justice, some are laments and others are full of declarations of who God is. This one calls all peoples, all nations to express praise. We easily forget that as believers we belong to a greater community than just our... Continue Reading →
Devotional Thoughts: Believe
He is RISEN! Resurrection was first revealed to the women who loved Jesus. They were still loving him as they went to the tomb and discovered he wasn’t there. He is alive! This changes everything! In this verse Jesus is speaking to Mary and Martha before he raised Lazarus from the dead. The word believe... Continue Reading →
Devotional Thoughts: Communion
Early Christians were accused of being cannibalistic, eating Jesus’ body when they participated in communion or the Eucharist. Jesus calls us to walk this road of suffering with Him just like the early believers did. Jesus’ body broke and he died. The earth shook. We remember there’s no resurrection without suffering. He suffered because of... Continue Reading →
Devotional Thoughts: Love One Another
Sometimes this is easy, sometimes this is hard. Thomas Merton, a famous spiritual writer rocked my world years ago when I read his book. This is horrible but I read it so long ago that I do not recall the title but I copied 1 chapter, the chapter on love. Merton says, “without my love... Continue Reading →
Devotional Thoughts: Surrender
Jesus was God in the flesh. God chose to come to earth in the form of a human so we can know who He is. He was obedient unto death and many have followed in those footsteps for centuries, being slaughtered for their faith. The proper word for this is martyr. Stephen was the first... Continue Reading →
Devotional Thoughts: Bread of Life
Yes, Jesus is the bread of life. What’s this mean? How can someone never hunger and thirst again? These are basic needs for every human. God is concerned for our physical needs but this verse goes much deeper than that. As a teen I reached out to God and experienced transformation immediately. I stopped craving... Continue Reading →
Devotional Thoughts: Calm, Settled Souls
CEV says, “Calm down” instead of, “Be still.” What could the world be like if we would all calm down? I know it’s in those still, quiet moments that God speaks. If we never stop we cannot hear the voice of Guidance, the voice of Divine Comfort, the voice of Healing. God speaks to us... Continue Reading →
Devotional Thoughts: Peter, Persecution and Tertullian
Peter is my favorite disciple of Jesus. He denied knowing Jesus three times and the rooster crowed. You can read about that in Matthew 26 and Luke 22. He was ashamed and wept. However, Peter is so transformed in Acts 5:15 that his shadow passing over a sick person brought healing! People placed the sick... Continue Reading →
Devotional Thoughts: Mercy is Free
Mercy is something we all desperately need. Without God’s mercy we would all be in the same boat headed nowhere and then to doom. Humbling ourselves and reaching out to God, praying for mercy, asking for forgiveness for our wrongs is what sets one person apart from another. The one who has experienced cleansing is... Continue Reading →