Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Devotional”
Bad days happen. To all of us. Some days seem to show up as magnets for mishaps and misunderstandings. That kind of day can launch us into emotional ups and downs. You are not alone. David and the others who wrote psalms knew days like that. They went from pouring out their hearts to God to pondering His ways. From petition and pleading to praising God. Here, I share 9 Psalms and truths that help boost my spiritual stamina.
Anyone else craving more than the trimmings? Like me, you might be longing for a deeper, more fulfilling experience this Christmas. A way to settle into the heart of Christmas and add depth to the remembrance and celebration. I’m so excited about a new book written by my friend and writer-buddy, Dandi Daley Mackall. In Three Wise Women: 40 Devotions Celebrating Advent with Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna, Dandi invites you and I to anticipate, celebrate, and marvel at Jesus’ birth.
Some mornings it feels like I’m walking side by side with Jesus on dusty roads or sitting on grassy hillsides listening to His teachings. This was one of those mornings. As I read through chapter 10, I could hear the confusion and disbelief in the Pharisees’ voices. And the confident, compassionate clarity in voice of The Good Shepherd.
You can’t tell me you’ve never blundered; never embarrassed yourself with a mistaken word or a committed or omitted action. Can you? Please tell me you have a similar story. I hate to think I’m the only one out there perpetuating mess-ups. Laughter is good for the soul, and a foolproof checklist is good for the heart.
If we live long enough you and I will stare down many harbors of heartache. The burial of a loved one. Betrayal. The loss of a career. A chronic illness. Financial disaster. The list is long. Right now you might feel stuck in a season of sorrow. Or have a friend who is camped in a hurting place. This resource is for you.
Drawers, cupboards, closets, sheds, and garages full of stuff. Unorganized excess. Baggage—emotional and physical saved for someone else to sift, sort, dispose of or save in an unbroken cycle of disorganization and distraction. We all come face-to-face with our stuff and sometimes we find ourselves buried in the stuff of loved ones. And yet . . . let’s talk about it.
That Palm Sunday morning when I looked up at the cross, the view had changed since my Saturday morning visit. A long table flanked the cross. A water bottle sat in front of it. And a cut piece of firewood stood on one arm of the cross. That wasn’t right! I’m guilty of adding clutter to the cross. Maybe you are too?
Are you feeling interrupted in an abrupt change of your plans? What happens in our day-to-day life may not fit perfectly or at all with the plans we made, but God is never caught off guard in our storms or in our seasons of redirection. He is a God of purpose and promise. Not only does God have a plan and a purpose for me and you, He has the ability to bring His divine plans and purposes to completion, no matter our circumstances.
