Bible Reading

Read Mark 6:31-46 Jesus had been teaching, and the people followed and listened. It seemed that they couldn’t get enough of Him. Now, they were out in a desert place, far from home, and their physical hunger became evident. The disciples saw the need of the people – over 5000 people. They understood hunger, but […]

I love the old hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. I especially love the phrase that reads “Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Thy help I’m come.” That part of the song is a reference to the story found in I Samuel 7, particularly verse 14. I Samuel 7:14 Then Samuel took a stone, and […]

Who would have thought that I would one day call the 1980s the ‘good ole days’? The fashions that I like to wear are way out of style by today’s standards. I sing music that was contemporary in my teens but is now classic, and I date myself by the references and examples I use […]

If we want to leave a legacy, we should live our faith. (Hebrews 11:4) Faith doesn’t always reveal the destination, but it always starts a journey. (Hebrews 11:8) When the patriarchs of the faith left their country, it was no longer on their mind. Instead, they looked ahead to a new life, a new home, […]

Luke 9:23 – And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Mama. Mama. Mama! Mothers of young children sometimes just want to change their title. The constant demand for attention and the need for love and care […]

My mom had one of those old crank sifters. When we made biscuits, we used it to sift the flour, making sure there were no lumps that would not mix well. Once the flour was smooth, we would stir the flour, buttermilk, and shortening together, knead the dough, and form the biscuits. There was always […]

You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow. Charles Stanley Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences. Robert Louis Stevenson Traveling through Georgia during the late summer and fall cannot help but turn one’s mind to harvest time. Combines are on the road, tractors are […]

Read Romans 16 As a card-carrying introvert, this is an important chapter for me. We talk about God’s relationship to the world, His love for the lost, His grace in the Church, but we tend to talk in general, corporate terms – big picture. You know. God loves all people. For God so loved the […]

Read Genesis 24 – Genesis 24:61 And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. Throughout the Bible, God gives example after example of history changing events that hinge upon simple acts of obedience. Rebekah is one such example. The […]

Read John 11 – When Jesus looked at Martha in the face of Lazarus’ death, He said “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?” John 11:25-26. He was asking […]

Read Mark 5: 21 – 43 Everyone told Jairus it was no use. “Don’t bother talking to Jesus. Your daughter is dead.” But Jesus’ only words were “Don’t be afraid; only believe” (Mark 5:36). These are the same words God speaks to us when we stand in the middle of unspeakable horror, numbing sorrow, and […]

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” -Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope Thessalonians 5:1-11 Christ will return, and this great truth anchors our hearts. Paul, however, wanted Christians to see the application of this truth in their daily lives, […]

II Timothy 2:1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. We are in a battle and the enemy will attack. God instructs us to be strong. This strength is not just a grit your teeth and muddle through endeavor; it is founded and grounded in the grace that is […]

a devotional response to I Thessalonians 4:13 – 18 One way or another God is going to get His children out of this world. This is not a threat; it is a reality. For this reason, we have hope; Not a hope that is pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking, but a certainty and assurance grounded in the […]

a devotional response to I Thessalonians 4:1-12 Twice in the book of I Thessalonians Paul specifically speaks to the will of God for the Christian. The first incidence in found in I Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know […]

a devotional response to I Thessalonians 3 – Go ahead – make my day. Clint Eastwood’s infamous movie line in context is an invitation to violence, but if Paul the Apostle had used this line it would have had a totally different meaning. Paul was in Athens, and he was suffering for his outspoken testimony […]

a devotional response to I Thessalonians 2 I Thessalonians 2: For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: 2 But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God […]

a devotional response to I Thessalonians 1:9-10 I Thessalonians 1: 9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even […]

a devotional response to I Thessalonians 1:1-8 – I Thessalonians, Day 1 Paul, the Apostle, wrote thank you letters! Here I thought it was a southern tradition, and all the time it was right there in God’s Word! I Thessalonians 1:1-8 records one of his thank you notes. He began his thank you note with […]

God IS love. Love is not something He does, it is Who He is – an intricate part of His character. He cannot be separated from love. Therefore, the instructions and warnings we read in His word have their basis in love – the love of the Father seeking to protect His children from that […]