Devotions
A few years ago, an acquaintance of mine was diagnosed with heart trouble. There was a sense of urgency in dealing with the problem. The doctor told her that if the situation deteriorated it would cost my friend her life. Fortunately, there was a medical procedure available immediately that would improve her quality of life and possibly extend it as well.
It is no secret that millions of Americans are suffering from loneliness. There has been an increasing sense of isolation for many since the COVID-19 lockdown. In 2024, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) found that 30% of adults reported feeling lonely at least once a week. Perhaps you have felt lonely at some point, maybe you have not, but many around you continue to struggle daily with the search for meaning in their daily lives.
At the age of 6, I summoned sufficient courage to ride a bicycle beyond the protective fence surrounding my home. As I rode past the neighbor’s gate, two huge menacing dogs slipped through the gate and began to chase after me. I was terrified, and began to cry as they charged at me, barking ferociously. Quivering and afraid, I stopped peddling and closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable.
Conflict will happen at some point in any human interaction. If you exist in a community, it is only a matter of time before someone offends you, abuses you, mistreats you, curses you or hates you. Perhaps, right here in the workplace, you have experienced an offense. The world says, “An eye for an eye,” but Jesus commands that when confronted by these enemies of the soul, love is the appropriate response.
So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. ( I Kings 17:5-6)
A community garden can be a wonderful therapeutic space for members of any community. It is a space where members of a community gather to savor the beauty of God’s beautiful earth. It’s a place of serenity, where one can reflect and connect with one’s inner self. It is a place where neighbors who may not even know one another well, share easy smiles as they observe the birds chirping contentedly around their feeders, and where flowers explode in their myriad shapes, colors and scents. It is a space where one can escape from the stresses that are ever present in daily life…
It’s February and love is in the air. Many people are already busy searching for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift or experience. But Valentine’s Day isn’t for everyone. There are millions who are excluded on this day of love. The truth is that sometimes we adults make love much more complicated than it ought to be. For instance, pinned to my bedroom wall is a simple work of art that my son made in second grade.
Weddings are wonderful events. Two people fall in love and come together to be united in holy matrimony. The new couple step out as one unit, ready for whatever the future might bring. We plan carefully for these weddings, paying excruciating attention to every detail, and yet as we all know, there is always that unplanned moment that becomes a permanent part of everyone’s wedding story.
In Hebrews, chapter 11 we find faith legends who lived out their faith with strength and courage, no matter what the obstacles may have been. These heroes of the faith saw victories whereas others saw defeat. They saw opportunities where others saw failure. These heroes of the Christian faith not only lived their lives by faith,
It’s a New Year, and I have an important question for you? “Do you know what will happen over the next 12 months?” I must confess that I don’t know what will happen, and it does not really matter that I don’t, because I know the one who does. He is the Almighty, the One that promised to give his people, Israel, a “hope and a future”, and now extends the same promise to those who believe in Him.
Recently, I came across this statement: “If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If an egg is broken by an inside force, then life begins. Great things happen from the inside.” Isn’t this the truth about our lives? If you apply too much external force on anything, it is bound to break, but a force that comes from within births new life….
The word of God did not come to any of the seven powerful men mentioned in Luke 3. It did not come to Tiberius Caesar, it did not come to Pontius Pilate, it did not come to Herod, or Philip the tetrarchs of Galilee and Iturea. It did not come to Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene. The word of God did not even come to Annas, the only high priest who was privileged to enter into the presence of God in the Holy of Holies. The “word of God came to John son of Zachariah.”
One of the greatest gifts God has given us is family. These are the people who share our lived experience. They are the people who ‘get us’, often resemble us, and in most cases, care deeply for us. These close relatives share memories with us and get our inside jokes. They laugh and celebrate with us when we excel, and weep with us when we are in trouble or pain.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I have been thinking a lot about it lately. I find myself thanking God for everything around me, big or small; the ability to breathe, walk, hear, and see. I thank him for the trees, the roads we drive on, clean water, clean air, my job, my purpose in life…you name it. I thank God for the squirrels, rabbits, birds, and every living creature that helps to balance our eco-systems.
Have you ever won a door prize or any other kind of prize? If so, do you remember how giddy you felt when you realized you had matched all the numbers? Do you remember the excitement in your steps as you stepped forth to claim your reward? How about the big smile you wore on your face, as everyone in the room turned to congratulate you on your win. It is a great feeling to be a winner!
I heard a story about a pastor from Colorado Springs who lives at the foot of Pike’s Peak with his family. Now Pike’s Peak stands majestically along the front range of the Rocky Mountains. The Peak is nearly always visible but there are days when the clouds hang low, and the majestic peak is hidden. One day, the pastor’s young son ventured outside and could not see The Peak. He turned to his father and said,
Our lives are filled with divine moments, which are sometimes referred to as miracles. Unfortunately, we often miss these moments in our hurry to get through the daily tasks that demand our attention. The divine moments happen when we cross paths with a person or situation, that upon reflection, only God could have orchestrated. For instance, a few months ago, I woke up to pray. As I was praying, I clearly “saw” someone that I interact with frequently.
During the 45 minutes, a middle-aged man walked by and noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly, he was late for work. The only one who paid attention was a 3-year-old boy. Even though his mother tagged him along, he kept looking back at the violinist, awed by what he saw and heard.
Recently, I was listening to a comedian who said in one of his sets, that a few years ago, ”Elmo” (a beloved character in children’s television) had asked a simple question on a social media platform. The question was: “How are you all doing?” Poor “Elmo” was unprepared for the onslaught of responses from across the country, responses that ran the gamut of every human emotion: rage, disgust, horror, confusion, sadness, disillusionment, revenge, you name it, it was there. Elmo received 180 million responses.
Have you ever been afraid to ask someone a question because you did not know if it was the right question to ask, or maybe you second guessed yourself because you felt as though you were the only one who did not understand what was being said? In a bid to encourage students to ask questions, one of my elementary school teachers liked to say, “There are no stupid questions. The only stupid questions are those we do not ask.”
