We Know God’s Truth through Creation
But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! Romans 1:19 (MSG) *** *** *** *** About 35 years ago, I was at a camp in the mountains. Alone in a room, I prayed, “God, if there is a God, I’m open. If you’re real, I want to know you’re real. And, Jesus Christ, if you can change my life, if there is a purpose for my life, I want to know it.” You know what happened? I didn’t get goose bumps. I didn’t cry. No bright lights shown down. Nothing like that. …
There Is a River
Such a one is like a tree planted near streams; it bears fruit in season and its leaves never wither, and every project succeeds. Psalm 1:3 (NJB) *** *** *** *** Today’s guest devotional is provided by Jon Walker – There is a river that flows from the throne of God, down the celestial main street and into the hearts of those who believe in the Lamb (Revelation 22); the river then flows like streams of living water through those who are one with Jesus (John 7). We hear the river whisper, “If anyone is thirsty, let …
Top 10 Reasons to Rethink Your Involvement in Social Media
Fun post by my friend Ben on the Top 10 Reasons to Rethink Your Involvement in Social Media: 1. Your spouse discovers new things about you on your blog. 2. You have separation anxiety with your iPhone. 3. You have a Vimeo AND a YouTube account for the SAME videos. 4. You get mad at people who call you when they could’ve twittered. 5. You think people who “friend you” are really your friends. 6. Your most frequented website is a visitor stats page. 7. Half of your web searches involve your own name. 8. You don’t read “the Bible” …
Our God Does Not Grow on Trees
He burns part of the tree to roast his meat … Then he takes what’s left and makes his god. Isaiah 44:16-17 (NLT) *** *** *** *** Today’s guest devotional is provided by Jon Walker – In 1980, Howard Cosell interrupted a “Monday Night Football” game with the announcement that John Lennon, of the Beatles, had been murdered outside his New York City apartment. In an eerie moment, ABC Sports respectfully cut sound from the game just as a play broke on the field, leaving television viewers – numbed by the news – sitting in silence while …
Hopefully in Love
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. 1 John 4:16 (NIV) *** *** *** *** Today’s guest devotional is provided by Jon Walker – We were singing when I noticed the typo. The lyrics to the praise tune were supposed to be, “I’m hopelessly in love with you.” But someone accidentally typed: “I’m hopefully in love with you.” The first suggests an abandonment to love: “God, I’m in this relationship head-to-toe, no matter where it leads.” The second suggests tentativeness: “Gee, I hope I can love you God.” We …
God Loving Us Perfectly
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ …. Colossians 2:9-10 (NIV) *** *** *** *** Today’s guest devotional is provided by Jon Walker – Perfect love desires communion, the sharing of life together, and so it cannot be expressed from a distance. God so perfectly loved the world that he came up close in Christ, stepping into the brokenness of our lives (1 John 1:1-3): · Into our emptiness, Jesus brings fullness and completion (Colossians 2:9-10). · Into our deficit, Jesus brings …
Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire
This film may be this year’s “Pan’s Labyrinth”, or “Life is Beautiful”. A movie from overseas, directed by–oddly–Danny Boyle (“Sunshine”, “28 Days Later”, “Trainspotting”), that transcends where it’s from. Forget the subtitles, forget the fact that it takes place in Mumbai. This is a story about people that we’ve seen in our own backyards–even if they are tucked away in the bad neighborhoods. We’ve seen the rags-to-riches stories. And like so many cases, we blur the lines between our heroes and our villains in stories about rising up. But the villains in this story are multiple, and at times, subtle …
We Are Desperate for You
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. Psalm 4:1 (NASB) *** *** *** *** Today’s guest devotional is provided by Jon Walker – Lord, we’re desperate for you. We’re bunched up in confusion, moving by impulse and fear, flitting here and there like a frenzied flock caught in the wilderness of the far country. We are here! We are here! And we know you hear. You’ve heard us before; you’ve swept in and saved us from our hopeless paralysis. Do …
Spiritual Growth Is Not a Private Matter
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT) *** *** *** *** Some of us hesitate to commit ourselves to developing an intentional plan of growth that requires accountability or relationship with others because we believe spiritual growth is a personal and private matter. We choose to believe each person develops in his or her own way at his or her …
Spiritual Growth Must Be Intentional
Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:12-13 (NLT) *** *** *** *** The truth is that growth in the human soul requires a commitment to grow. A person must want to grow, decide to grow, and make an effort to grow. Spiritual growth begins with a decision. It doesn’t have to be a complex decision, but it does have to be sincere. When Jesus’ followers decided to choose his way, …
