Encouragement
Short reflections to steady your soul and turn your eyes to Scripture. New devotions are added regularly.
Dressed in the garments of fear and shame, I stood outside the town gate. Hundreds of people were expected to arrive at any moment. The air was filled with aromas of wood fires, freshly baked bread, and fish. Folk music played in the background as women wove and local blacksmiths forged tools...
Read more →One of my most cherished memories as a young girl was attending Easter sunrise services with my family. We would wake up around five o’clock on Easter morning, dress warmly, pack our blankets and lawn chairs into the back of our 1983 Mercury wood-paneled station wagon, and drive south of...
Read more →When I was in elementary school, my art teacher asked us to color an entire sheet of white construction paper with bright, vibrant colors. We spent weeks filling our sheets with electric, luminous, Crayola colors. The only color we were prohibited from using was black. I can still remember the...
Read more →I sat in my car, overwhelmed and emotional. I had spent the whole morning baking, cleaning, and doing laundry; I was exhausted. All I wanted was to take a nap, but I couldn’t because I had a lunch date with a friend. December can feel overwhelming, can’t it? When our schedules fill...
Read more →And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.—Luke 14:27 (NIV) About three years ago, I went to a surgical center for a precautionary exam and walked out with the word precancerous linked to my name. It was so easy to let fear take control in that moment, but...
Read more →As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well...
Read more →Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. —Joshua 1:9 (NKJV) I was looking forward to a relaxing evening when I opened my email and found a message from my church production team. My name...
Read more →“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is...
Read more →Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a...
Read more →Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! —2 Corinthians 5:17 Have you made a New Year's resolution? For years, I welcomed the new year with a fresh goal, a resolution. After all, that’s what...
Read more →For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16 In the stillness of the night, a tiny, helpless cry pierced the world's silence with a message of hope...
Read more →Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. —Matthew 5:6 What do we have in common with cell phones, iPads, and computers? Answer: We all require a charge. Personally speaking, when my charge is sitting below fifty percent, I get frustrated with...
Read more →Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. —Proverbs 3:5-6 From the beginning, God planned to offer His Son Jesus to redeem the world. Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth was...
Read more →“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old, they will not turn from it.” -Proverbs 22:6 As parents, we have been entrusted with providing for our children’s physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs. God tells us in the Bible that...
Read more →It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery. —Galatians 5:1 Flight 1260 was gaining speed, soon to ascend into the bright blue Colorado sky. I stared out the window with a heavy heart...
Read more →