Corona Devotionals

A wise woman once told me that when making pineapple upside down cake...always be extra generous with the butter and brown sugar portion of the recipe.  And she was ( so ) right: the extra sweetness makes a big difference.   If you've ever made pineapple upside down cake, it begins with melted butter and brown sugar mixed together on the bottom of a pan.  Then a cherry usually goes in the center, and some form of pineapple is layered on top of that sweet goo.  And then cake batter is poured over the candied-pineapple foundation.  At the end of the baking process, the pan is then inverted, and the topping (including the extra brown sugar and butter) becomes the top of the cake...the sweet, yummy, delicious, outstanding topping on top of the cake.  And that wise woman was correct...every time I make pineapple upside down cake, I use an extra portion of butter and brown sugar and it is a (sweet!) blessing to me and others.    That (extra brown s...

Everyday when I enter and when I leave work, I walk by the same tree (plant?) in our office.  I even water that tree about once a week.  Sometimes someone else waters it, but often it's me.   I see that  plant  daily.  But today I noticed (for the first time) that there were a bunch of dead branches littering the pot it grows in and the floor around it.   Where did those come from?   I say "branch", but I don't know what kind of tree or plant it is, and they aren't exactly branches, but they aren't exactly leaves either.  Strands.  There were dead strands all around the plant that surely must have been dead and dying there for days and even weeks.  But I hadn't noticed them (any of them!), until now.   There were quite a few and they didn't happen overnight, but I must have just gotten used to seeing them as they withered and then drooped, and then dropped.  It must have been subtle, beca...

Sometimes the plans that the Lord has for us make no sense at all (to us).  Sometimes the plans that the Lord has for us completely contradicts the plans that we have made.  Have we ever felt God direct us in the exact opposite direction than we were wanting/intending/reasoning/rationalizing to go? Sometimes we have scrutinized every angle  and hypothesized every scenario ...and we are sure  of what direction to take, and yet: God directs us in a different one.   Will we trust God even when we don't agree with Him? I hope we will.   ~~~ Over and over, Jeremiah directed the people of Jerusalem and (specifically) their king,  Zedekiah,  to surrender  to the Babylonian king and army that (God predicted) would be attacking them and their city.   But the Israelites didn't agree with God's plans, and so they didn't follow them (or Him).  Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son of Shelemiah...

Do the right thing today.  God is not only  aware  of our integrity and our  trust  in  Him, but it pleases Him. Sometimes we wonder what the right thing might be.  But other times we know beyond a shadow of a doubt what the right thing is.  The only question is, will we do it ?  Do the right thing today.  God is not only aware  of our integrity and our  trust  in Him, but He will bless us for it.   Does that mean I'm promising that if we "do good", we'll be millionaires or never contract cancer?   Of course not.   Many have served God faithfully but have suffered greatly.   However, if we love God, we will have a testimony of His presence...even in our suffering.  And His promise of Eternity with Him is an (eventual) blessing that every person who puts their trust in God can expect.   And so, now or later, or (more likely) now and later... Do the right thing today bec...

It's been over eighteen years since we had an infant come home from the hospital with us and be put into our (inexperienced and naive) care.  Nothing (that I have experienced) highlights your lack  of control and knowledge more than the responsibility and privilege of being a parent. And I remember some late nights and (very) early-hours of the day when laying our children down in the crib...there was a part of me that was so worried to leave them alone in there.  I would creep out of their room and then lay my own (tired) self down in my bed and I would pray.   God, watch over them.  Lord, hold them close.  Father, I commit them to Your care... Zzzzzzzz. If I am honest, my sleep often came before my "Amen" to those prayers, but so did my peace.  God gave me both: peace and rest.   Days go by and years do too.   All of us fight the temptation to worry about things and people.  Life is complicated and can be very diffi...

"How do I get to heaven?", people ask, and let's face it, we all wonder: "What are the exact steps in getting there?" .  The initial steps are clearly stated (repeatedly) in the Bible: accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  We must (first) admit that we have sinned and that God is holy (AKA: He is God and we are not).  Then we have to believe that Christ died for our sins, and finally, we must accept Him  into our hearts, minds and lives. The Bible tells us this clearly.  ( Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  ~Acts 2:38 Those steps of faith are outlined in Scripture pretty concretely.   But what next? What does it actually  mean to " Love the  Lord  your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5) ? How exa...