Posts with the category “daily-devotionals”

Three years after establishing our lives in Reedley, we bought our second home. It was new. In fact, it was not even built yet when we made the decision. So we were able to work with the builder and c...  Read More

Every year during the New Year’s holiday we fly back to Chicago to visit both Jenn’s side and my side of the family. There’s something special about ringing in a new year surrounded by those you love ...  Read More

I get so intrigued by the behind-the-scenes features of a movie that I like. It really lets me know some of the intricate details of the movie’s creation. As a leader, I am always intrigued by how muc...  Read More

This week we pause from the routines of life to give thanks as a nation for God’s bountiful blessings.  We have so much to be thankful for as a nation.  We have been blessed beyond anything we deserve...  Read More

What does it mean to have faith like a mustard seed?  In this verse, Jesus uses an analogy, and I find it interesting that he compares faith to a mustard seed.  I think there are a couple lessons we c...  Read More

Had everything gone according to plan, I never would have come to Fresno.It was the spring of my sophomore year of college, which meant it was time to make plans for the summer. Internships were a big...  Read More

I love watching Christmas movies. I love the warmth I feel when I’m watching them. Maybe because there is usually some element of cold that causes them to wrap their hands around decorated cups of hot...  Read More

We just concluded a presidential election and depending on what side of the political spectrum you are on thanks to the rhetoric surrounding it you are now either very excited and hopeful or possibly ...  Read More

My Dad loved to disguise our Christmas presents. He would put a phone book or catalog inside a present to make the box heavier. My sister and I would shake our gifts and hear rattles that turned out t...  Read More

It was about a decade ago now that my wife Alexis and I used to run quite a bit. While I was working for Lance Kashian & Co. we would participate in seven or eight 5k races per year. During that time,...  Read More

Loving your neighbor as yourself has to include encouraging and building up your neighbor. Encouraging others is important because most of the people you meet are hurting in some way, even if they don...  Read More

I wanted to stop coaching. I felt it was time in my young Christian life to put it aside, with all my worldly goals and dreams. But the Lord said, “No!” I was shocked. We always feel God wants more de...  Read More

My wife has a place where she keeps her necklaces. Some of them are made of precious metals and stones. Most, however, are inexpensive but have precious memories. One of her favorites has a pendant sh...  Read More

Today, as you read this short devotional, I would like to encourage you to center your thoughts around one of the central themes of Christianity…forgiveness.  It is our privilege each week to gather f...  Read More

When I read this it reminded me of Satan in the garden when he said to Adam, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?...You will not surely die.” Satan’s ways haven’t chan...  Read More

If you could be any animal you wanted to be, which one would you choose?  I’ve always thought it would be fun to be a dolphin.  They seem happy and playful.  Plus I love the ocean.  But if I could be ...  Read More

Here we see a command and a promise from God regarding the tithing by Israel of their harvest. In ancient Israel it was commanded to tithe, or give a tenth of your harvest to the storehouse, also know...  Read More

The first time I flew by myself was almost disastrous.I was just shy of 15 years old, flying from my home in Dallas to Erie, PA, where I’d catch a ride to a Christian boys’ leadership training camp in...  Read More

In the age of streaming EVERYTHING, most of our music is now listened to on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, or Pandora. With that, we have lost the ancient art of making mixed tapes. Today, while...  Read More

Have you ever picked berries from the vine?  You gently, carefully pluck the juicy berry from the vine taking care to not get scratched by the prickly thorns.  You pop the berry in your mouth and tast...  Read More

Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘fool’ as “a person lacking in judgment or prudence.”Did you know the Bible has a lot to say about a fool? No one wants to be called a fool, yet many of our behaviors are ...  Read More

In 2010 I began a renewal. I have had several of these significant periods. It always means I have to start doing something different. It does not mean what I was doing was bad, more that it was time ...  Read More

We do have a great cloud of witnesses who have walked in Christlike endurance. One of those witnesses is Job. Here was a man who lost not one but ten children. He lost all his wealth and his workers. ...  Read More

This past week I finished reading through the Gospel of John.  I was impressed at how many times Jesus made statements that He was doing what His Father does.  He declared to the religious leaders tha...  Read More

Can you remember a time when you were a child and your parents disciplined you for doing something wrong?  For most of us, that would be a long list.  My mom was a softie when it came to discipline, b...  Read More

If you had to pick the darkest day of the year, spiritually speaking what would it be? For me, I would say October 31st, All Hallows Eve, or Halloween, as we know it would be a top contender. It is th...  Read More

The question often arises this time of year: “What has magic to do with Scripture?” The answer is... complicated. On the one hand, I have no objection to the Disney-esque “pixie-dust” magic common in ...  Read More

I totally believe in the power of prayer. And even when I don't get an answer or don't get the answer I want, I know the Lord listens to me when I pray. That being said, there are days that I fret and...  Read More

Recently, we’ve had several game nights planned at our church. Regarding games, it would be awesome to have access to “power-ups” in life, similar to those found in video games. A good power-up can co...  Read More

Planes, trains, bicycles, automobiles, golf carts, cable cars... So many ways to get from one place to another.  Big cities have subways that speed you to your destination. There are even underwater s...  Read More

What makes you angry? For me it’s being disrespected and seeing weak people bullied. I never got in a fight in school (I was big), but I came closest when I was sticking up for a little guy getting pi...  Read More

I have spoken often of the relationship between Lynn and me, which began in February 1967. There were many things which bound us together: our romantic love, college classes, Fresno State sports, humo...  Read More

Under the cruel Roman Empire of the first century AD some who committed a crime, depending on their social status, could be fined, disgraced publicly, enslaved, or banished. Sometimes they were shackl...  Read More

I often think back through the years to an event that took place the summer following my graduation from High School.  I was at a church summer camp up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains east of Oroville,...  Read More

Here in 1 John we see a verse that looks very similar to John 3:16. A summing up if you will of God’s salvation plan for us. However, this passage differs a little in that it focuses more on the love ...  Read More

When I tell people that I work with junior highers, I usually get a quizzical look. Even for people who like spending time around children, that wonderfully awkward age of 12–14 is rarely their first ...  Read More

In the Old Covenant, the temple in Jerusalem had a veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place – the Holy of Holies.  I always thought the veil simply represented the holiness of God.  He ...  Read More

When I read this verse I thought of a situation in my life that at times I wonder if the Lord understands my grief and if He really has control over making things right for those I love. But here the ...  Read More

Raising teenagers can be disheartening.  One-minute parents are amazed and hopeful as they see their teens act responsibly.  The next minute their hopes are dashed as they see them do or say something...  Read More

I remember a time when my grandmother hated video games. She’d say things like, “They’re destroying our young kids' minds.” To which I’d laugh and just say, “Oh silly grandma!” But today, I’m starting...  Read More