Psalm 94:12-15 As I hear about the events going on at this time, it is easy to feel somewhat helpless. We hear about corruption in the highest levels of our government, and it seems that justice never comes. We hear about crimes and murders, greed and swindling—still little to no justice. We watch politicians fail to even attempt to fulfill their campaign promises, and it seems like our votes don’t matter. We see public officials over-step their authority and act like dic

Psalm 72 is a great devotional reading for this time that our country is going through. Prayers for the king in vs. 1, 8, & 15-17 remind us to pray these kinds of prayers for our leaders. Verses 18-19 remind us to praise God, who is carrying out His eternal plan. The lyrics of this song in between the prayers show us the desired results that the psalmist had while praying these prayers. The introduction and conclusion of the song seems to indicate that David is writing t

Recently I’ve been helped when I read in a Christian book the idea that no one can win the rat race of life. We all know the feeling of striving, trying, working to get ahead, keep up, stay afloat, survive. The problem is that the rat race of life is unwinnable. There is no winner. You’ve probably heard the ridiculous statement ‘he who dies with the most toys wins.’ What nonsense! They’re still dead. So rather than exhaust ourselves like a hamster on a wheel, let’s rec

Psalm 111 What comes to your mind when you think about the works of the Lord? Does your mind go to the expanse of the universe full of stars and galaxies? Perhaps you think of the amazing landscapes found all over the earth. Maybe you think about the creation account in Genesis of God making all that is out of nothing. Let me suggest to you that we may limit the works of the Lord to only the great expansive aspects of creation while forgetting what He is doing in our live

Ladies, you have to understand that the struggle is real. Guys, I feel your pain. What am I talking about? Reading and following the directions of the instruction manual whenever we make a new purchase. It seems so superfluous and unnecessary. It feels like I can just figure it out by looking at it. Maybe the temptation to make it work, assemble it, use it without consulting the instructions comes from too many yard sale purchases. I don’t know, but I do know that I’d r

It’s always comforting to have the security of someone reliable. Whether it’s friends or family just knowing that you are not alone brings peace. Human companionship is something that all of us were created to enjoy. Even those of us who like their solitude generally also crave love and attention and companionship in their own way and at their own time. Even though we were made to desire and enjoy human relationships, our relationship with God should bring greater peace.

Happily Ever After?—Reflections from Mark 6 We’ve all seen it a hundred times. You know the famous plot arc of movies and books. The good people are confronted by enormous opposition of some sort. They persevere. They fight through the problem, and they live “happily ever after.” The scene that sticks in my mind the most is the end of Disney’s old Robin Hood—the one with the cartoon fox. Robin and Maid Marianne are riding away in the carriage after getting married and t

As the weather is getting warmer, I am assuming that many of you have started doing more and more outdoor yard work. Some of you have been gardening and planting new plants or tending to the ones already there. Have you ever planted a plant in a bad place for the plant’s health? Maybe it was in a location that didn’t get enough sunshine or maybe it was in location that got washed out. Did you know that we can also "plant" ourselves in the wrong place? As I have been doing mor

Let us review God's call to the church to be missional beyond her doors into the community and to the "uttermost parts of the earth" through missions partners. Philippians 2:14-16 reminds us that we are to be bright lights or light fixtures for the Light. Our light is to be shining "in the world in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation." Greg heard a preacher recently say that we like going to church as a light show. We believers shine our lights at each other, a

Bluntness is a quality that at times can be so refreshing and at other times so uncomfortable. Many of us appreciate when someone will “just tell it how it is.” However, we all can recall those times when we’ve thought “I can’t believe she just said that.” Being direct in speech is considered a virtue: “Let your ‘yea’ be yea and your ‘nay’ be nay. It is especially important when confronting a problem. In Psalm 97:10, God gets right to the heart of what He wants from His p