Category: Inspirational

Inspirational

Because Faith Matters

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.             Hebrews 11:6, NIV   Martin Luther said, “Faith is a living, busy, powerful thing; it is impossible for it not to do us good continually.”  […]

March 21, 2022
Inspirational

Of Blessings, Saints, and Shamrocks

You’re probably wearing a bit of green today as you prepare your favorite recipe of corned beef and cabbage. After all, it’s Saint Patrick’s Day and traditions, and parades, and festivities abound. Historically, Saint Patrick’s Day was celebrated during the Lenten season which prohibited the use of alcohol or eating meat. The rules were waived […]

March 17, 2022
Inspirational

Silver Linings

  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.                         Isaiah 55:8-9, NRSV     What were you thinking? Sometimes that’s a rhetorical question […]

March 14, 2022
Inspirational

Finding Time…for God

  One of my more recent books is called, Got 10 Minutes…for God?  Since I write devotional books for a living, it occurred to me that some people may not even know the purpose behind doing daily devotions.  In fact, they might not even know what the word “devotions” means. After all, everybody’s busy! What can […]

March 10, 2022
Inspirational

“As I Forgive Those…”

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32, NLT The part of the Lord’s Prayer that we might find a bit tricky is that section that asks God to “forgive us as we forgive others.” The language is loftier than this phrase, but […]

March 7, 2022
Inspirational

Don’t Lock Up Love!

When love goes missing, some say “good riddance” because any excuse to cast love into the darkness works for them. After all, violence and hatred rule the day, and nobody can fix that. Some say love is just too disappointing and never lives up to their expectations, so they are better off without it anyway. […]

February 28, 2022
Inspirational

A Little Scripture Gem

I was reading the story in Exodus where Moses picked 70 of his best and brightest guys to help guide the people. This is the story just before the moment when God gives Moses the Ten Commandments. Anyway, reading the story again, I realized I had never really focused on this one section.  Moses takes […]

February 24, 2022
Inspirational

Shape Up!

A while back, I wrote a book called The Heart-Shaped Life Devotional.  The subtitle says: Choosing a life of steadfast love one day at a time.  I wrote this book because we live in a harsh world that seems to have lost heart.  Wherever we look, people are complex and violent, flawed at best and spiraling […]

February 21, 2022
Inspirational

Lovable You!

Hello Adorable One! Oh, yes, that’s you! You may not always recognize how awesome and lovable you are, but it’s Valentine’s Day so get ready to be the center of attention. Psalm 139 declares that God can’t get enough of fawning over you, thinking about you, coming up with ways to make your life cheerier. […]

February 14, 2022
Inspirational

Love Forgives

Forgiveness is sticky! We’re grateful for it when we want God to forgive our foolishness and self-centeredness. We like it well enough when someone who has hurt us in the past, finally declares they were wrong and would like us to forgive them. When it comes to seeking the forgiveness of someone else over something […]

February 10, 2022