The past two days, my morning devotional readings were on the subject of encouragement. Specifically, they were focused on the value of being and encourager. At first, I found myself walking away from the readings saying to myself, “That’s nice. It is a good idea to encourage others,” but honestly, I was not very moved by what I read. Little did I know, those readings […]
During my time as a student at Houghton College, there was a praise chorus that was very popular. Occasionally, I still hear it sung. The words were simple, yet very profound. After celebrating our unity as believers in Christ, the chorus declares, “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” The words […]
It is a cold Saturday morning. There is a fire in the fireplace and warm oatmeal settling in to nourish us for the day. No particular agenda is pressing, and the house is still relatively quiet. It is a perfect time to relax and savor the moment, and I am battling the desire to, “just get a little more work done.” Maybe you have experienced […]
I’ve continued to ponder what it means to be blessed by God and thought a little more reflection was in order. Have you ever wondered what God desires for your life? Have you questioned His plans, or goodness? Have you ever asked, “Is God really interested in me?” Well, God has an answer for you. Is He interested in you… that’s not the half of […]
Blessings arrive in the most amazing places. Sometimes, they are big gifts from God that meet significant needs in our lives, while other times, they are little acts of kindness that remind us that we are loved and appreciated. Last night, we picked up our son from his mission work to bring him home for the weekend. He is celebrating a significant birthday and wanted […]
In the beginning, God created all that is. For six days He crafted the heavens, the earth and all that is in them. On the sixth day God created humanity and then on the seventh day, He rested, and while the initial creation was complete the story was far from over. There would be sin, brokenness and pain, yet the creating, restoring power of God […]
Kindness is a wonderful thing. It is great to receive and equally wonderful to give. It can multiply the joyous times of life and bring the light of hope into the darkest seasons. My devotions recently led me to a wonderful reflection on kindness in the form of a story from the ancient Christians: Abba Moses was asked to travel to another community to pass […]
What does God want for Christmas? It may sound like a strange question, but it may be the most important one we answer in this season. As we approach the holiday, many of us are scurrying to make all of the necessary preparations for our family and friends. There is food to buy, decorations to find and hang, and, of course, presents to buy. In […]
Some memories are dangerous. Some are dangerous to remember and others are dangerous to forget. Last night, I happened to meet a colleague while we were out with our daughter. In the midst of our conversation, he reminded me of a memory from my life that was dangerously close to being forgotten. He said, “I remember a few years ago, when you were sick over […]
What happened to civility? I know we are overburdened and rushed for time. I understand that we are working to make ends meet and worried about the current economic forecast. I recognize that we have opinions and passions, but when did it become acceptable to subjugate the way we respect and treat others in order to make ourselves and our agenda the only thing that matters. […]