Category: Devotional

DAD!
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DAD!

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A little girl walks down the street, skipping  and humming as she makes her way to Church where her father, (the Pastor) is preparing to give his sermon. It’s a big day for her. Today she sings a solo at the Church about God as our Father. She has new stockings under her best dress and her mom has curled her hair. As she skips her shoe catches in a crack and she falls, tearing her new stockings and getting fresh blood down her dress. She sucks back a cry and stands up. Then falls again. Her shoe is broken. Now she cries. Loud and clear. Suddenly two arms lift her up and she sees her daddy, out of breath from running and now getting blood and dirt on his tie. He carries her to the Church. Cleans her wounds and puts on new bandages and then smiles at her. “You were late so I came to find you. Next time you decide to battle the sidewalk wait for me so I can help you.”
The little girl laughs and her dad places her on the floor, and they walk into the Sanctuary, five minutes late. People tap their watches and scowl but the little girl’s dad just takes her to the pulpit so she can begin her song and the service can start.
God is that dad. He comes running when we fall, he lifts us up and cleans our wounds, then he walks beside us on our path that he has set us to. People grumble sometimes and cast us looks, but God just keeps on pulling us forward to where we need to be.

Happy Father’s Day!

Thank you God for always being my dad and taking care of me. Amen  

Clusters
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Clusters

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One day God sat with thousands of tiny flowers that could never survive on their own. He mused and considered as he touched the tiny petals wondering what to do next. He lifted two of the flowers and saw their stems sticking together. In a flurry of imagination God began gathering the flowers together and attaching them to the stems he had set aside as individual stems for the individual flowers, now they were packed with flower clusters. God pulled the flower cluster close and found pleasure in the scent of the combined flowers. Then he attached the cluster to another cluster and another until he had a bush, then he smiled because it was good.
‘Just like these flowers need each other to survive, so do my children. I hope they see this bush and get the message.’ God smiled and sent the lilac to us.

Hunted by the hound
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Hunted by the hound

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I have wondered what the ‘hound of Heaven’ would look like. To be honest I often imagine the hound of the Baskerville. The one from the old BnW movie. Snarling teeth, drooling blood, the kind of animal you never want to meet. Today I was praying about it, just a quick thought in my morning and I got an image. Probably because God knows I couldn’t grasp what the real hound’s appearance would be he showed me a dog that I know, one that is part of my heart. I pictured my first dog. He, for some reason, was very regal and had a glow. He was strong in body but still had that goofy grin. My dog never had a strong body, we bought him from people who neglected him, he was sick his whole life, but strong in spirit. He never backed down and always sought those who needed love.
Don’t miss this.
God isn’t hunting after you with a destroyer bent on the taste of your blood. He is coming after you with a gentle friend who is bent on healing your heart. My Max was a sick poodle mix who trembled while moving forward, but his steadfast heart made him seek after the ones whose hearts were broken, his love helped heal many, that’s who is seeking after your heart today. Someone who wants you to know, “Jesus loves you!”

IF
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IF

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IF

If is such a funny word. It can change anything just by existing. I am going for a walk…if. I will finally get my dream…..if. Or switch it around, if I get my wish. If I score that goal.
If changes things.
If. Jesus didn’t die.
If. It was all made up.
If. There is no world after this one.
The ifs suddenly look like a black hole don’t they?
If the ifs were true then there would be no point and the world would just burn. No Jesus means no salvation and IF we all just stop existing anyway then what’s the point?
Change the if to a why on the second one. Why would somone go to the trouble of making it all up, AND setting in place the evidence we have found? It would be ridiculous.
If there is no Heaven or hell and we all just stop existing then why do we exist at all? Because the world needed us? That is clearly not true, we are killing the world. Then why?
The truth is is that we could argue the ifs for years. Many have. But what it all comes down to is this. In our hearts we know the story is true. We have met Jesus and know Him. Then the ifs don’t matter.
One more if for everyone out there who still doesn’t believe.

                WHAT IF IT’S ALL TRUE?
Then where are you at the end?

Armor
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Armor

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Armor?

When we were kids in Sunday School, we would sing the armor of God song. Remember standing up and patting yourself down as you named the different parts of the armor. It sort of looked like a rendition of ‘head, shoulders, knees and toes.’ Today I was reading Stormie Omartain’s ‘prayer warrior’ and she was talking about the armor of God. She mentioned how we need to put it on every day and it gave me an idea. What if we start each day by doing the armor of God song? Bear with me. What if we got up and did the helmet of salvation, breastplate, of righteousness, belt of truth, shoes of readiness, shield of Faith and sword of the Spirit? A. we would be verbally and physically acknowledging God’s power over our day
B. We would be getting in some morning cardio.
It is just a thought. But don’t forget how mutch we need our armor if we are going to make it through the day.

Credit to owner for cover image

Mother’s Day
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Mother’s Day

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Strong hands

When you think of strong hands what comes to mind?
A doctor? A soldier?

My Grandfather tells a true story almost every chance he gets. I have probably mentioned it before.
Grandpa’s Father was a farmer. Like most farmers, when spring came he burned the fence line before getting ready to plant.
Grandpa’s dad walked the line after to make sure every spark was out and in his walking he found a lump. He thought it was odd in it’s appearance so he pushed it over and out scampered three little prairie chicken babies.
He then realized that the lump was a mother prairie chicken who had covered the babies with her body and then succumbed to the flames. She wouldn’t move from protecting them even though it was killing her.
It made him very sad, and also amazed at the will of the mom.
Grandpa loves animals so it broke his heart.
Only a mom would die covering her babies with her body to protect them from death.
Those are strong hands.
God gave moms the nature to protect and defend the small and the weak. He gave them the power to push through anything whatsoever for the sake of those they care for. God is always with you moms! He will give you strength!
Happy Mother’s Day

Suiting up
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Suiting up

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Every hero has their costume. Without it, they simply don’t look heroic.
If John Wayne didn’t wear his hat he would still look like a hero to us, but that is simply because we have seen him in action. On the other hand if you saw All Might walking down the street in civilian clothes he would look, well, a little bit like a hippy; but full dressed in his hero outfit, he looks like the symbol of peace. Right? Right.
People can’t look at us and see that we are God’s heros. We are always in civilian wear. We can’t suit up and say, “fear not, for I am here!” Because we have nothing to suit up with. Like the Duke (John Wayne) we have to let people know what we are all about by our actions. If they see us acting like Jesus then they will know, “we are here to help✌.”
So, suit up everybody. It’s time to act like heros.

Grace and truth
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Grace and truth

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Grace and truth

I once heard a volleyball captain say that you can’t have a good relationship by only being nice. It is not untrue, especially of you are the leader. You always need to be able to deliver the hard truths that people need to hear but you need to be able to do it with grace.
If you are known for being a jerk and doing nothing but pointing out people’s faults then they won’t ever actually listen to you. If you are never giving them the criticism they need then they will never grow.
Hypothetical story.
You are the captain of the women’s (or men’s), college volleyball team. You have been doing this middle school and the game is all you eat, sleep, and drink. Basically you know your stuff. Last year your previous setter graduated so you are using the person who was training to take the position. Game after game, sloppy spike after sloppy spike, you realize something. It isn’t your spiker that is the problem, it’s the setter. This person is hot headed and ready to eat the ball in her hand from so many misses. More than that she has started to blame the spiker and tell them off. Your words of, “just shake it off girls!” And, “we will get the next one!” Have been silenced by you realizing that you have to tell the setter what she is doing wrong. What do you do?
You tap her on the shoulder and say?
A. Listen. You keep on hesitating before your set so the timing is off and you are throwing off the spiker.
B. Hey there…is everything okay? Your sets seem a little hesitant. Don’t worry, you can do it.
Or C. I have noticed that you are a little hesitant with your sets today and it seems that is throwing off the spikes. (Place hand on shoulder) don’t worry, you can do it!

Option C. Shows the mistake gently and then encourages.

People need help. But they need you to offer that help kindly. Not sugarcoated, but not full of salt either. Find the balance and you can be a great asset to people.

Standing in the blaze
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Standing in the blaze

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The flames will only make me stronger-Zeno

People often call the testing of God, “going through fire.”
Actually bad things in general are often called tests of fire too.
Right now it feels like the whole world is burning, being tested by fire.
One of my absolute favorite novel characters ends up in a burning building. You guessed it. Even though he is not the main hero he ends up having to save everyone from the collapsing, burning building. When the others argue about leaving him behind to be engulfed by fire he responds with: “don’t worry. The flames will only make me stronger.”
For those who are wondering, no, he does not die. Though badly burned, he makes it out alive.
Do we live like that? Do we see our “flames” as something that only makes us stronger?
I know that I don’t. Though the power and beauty of fire is nice at a distance, walking through that fire is not something to be called, “enjoyable”.   But just because you hate it, and just because it hurts doesn’t mean that God isn’t making you stronger through it.
During these difficult times I challenge you to read through the story of the three Hebrew boys, pick the verse that most speaks to you, and put it up someplace in your home to remind you that the flames will make you stronger.
Daniel 3

The party that shakes the skies
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The party that shakes the skies

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Jesus ascended to the Father before returning to see His friends. Recall, He told the women not to hold to Him because He had not yet ascended to the Father.
Imagine the party, the shouts of joy, the resonating songs, the moment Jesus’ feet touched Heaven once again. There you see God running to His boy and thrusting His arms around Him. There you see Father and Son weeping outloud, and laughing as they hold each other. It had been so very long and now they are together again. Watch the angels hoist Jesus onto their shoulders and cary Him to the party as the hosts and the guests of Heaven cheer and shout. The hero had returned. What a party for the hero who had been gone so long. How will we party when Jesus returns physically to us again?