Corona Devotionals

It is so easy to be influenced by the people around us today .  It is even easy to be influenced by who we used to be  before Jesus came onto our scene and into our hearts yesterday . And if we are not careful, the situations/people/surroundings of tomorrow will attempt to saturate and influence us.   God's word gives us a firm reminder today to be influenced by Him  and Him alone.  If we obey God, we will find life through Him, regardless of what is attempting to influence us.  The negative influences have always been there, and more are always encroaching, but God gives us fair-warning and fore-warning to seek His ways, regulations and decrees  because  you will find life through them (Leviticus 18:5). Then the  Lord  said to Moses,   2  “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the  Lord  your God.   3  So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the ...

When was the last time you went sled riding? Rosy cheeks, the rush of skittering down a hill on a sled, and the intoxication of adrenaline rushing through your heart and urging your feet right back up the hill to do it once more.  And once more.   Sledding is a blast.   It's also a lot of work.  Getting suited up with boots, snow pants, gloves and a jacket is no small feat (at any age) and this all occurs before we even set foot outside in the cold. Zooming down the hill is exhilarating, but the climb back up  the hill seems to grow a bit more arduous with each run.  Until, at some point, we realize that we are exhausted.  And we call it a day on the sledding hills...until next time. Sledding is a fun adventure, but it is also a lot of work.   As we thawed out with some hot cocoa, I defrosted the idea that our life-journey as Christ-followers has similarities to sledding. As Christians, we must prepare.  We must become familiar...

I have always enjoyed words and their meanings. I am consistently surprised at how many words and terms originated in the Bible, have withstood the test of time, and are still being circulated in conversation, print, and our spiritual lives. Today's vocabulary word is "scapegoat". Merriam Webster defines a scapego at as one that bears the blame for others .  The original scapegoats as defined by God and were used by early priests who would " transfer the people's sins " onto the goat, and then send the goat (and the people's sins)  into the wilderness. It would happen like this: “When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place and the Tabernacle and the altar, he must present the live goat. (21) He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will d...

Some things are just made to go together. Like doughnuts and coffee. So many sweet treats pair well with coffee, but none better than doughnuts, especially when they are dunked and the coffee and doughnut become one. It is an interconnected, symbiotic and beautiful thing. My husband asked me out on a date the other day. This is not a rare occurrence, but with the perpetuation of quarantines and the reality of 3 kids and their schedules, it is also not a run-of-the-mill happenstance, so I was excited. We have discovered a local doughnut cafe that dips delicious fry-cakes with icings, mini-chocolate chips, Fruity Pebbles, you-name-it. And it is Christian owned and operated--which makes it all the more delicious! I can't think of many things on this earth that I enjoy more than coffee, doughnuts and my husband (not necessarily in that order). For those of us who are married and have kids, it's quite easy to breeze (or trudge) from one marital and parental responsibility to ...

The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain... ~Proverbs 10:11 At first glance of this verse, I received it benevolently and at face value : If we know the Lord and His Word can share it with others and it is " life-giving ". Smooth and nice. But then I chewed on this verse a little longer and something "crunched" in between my teeth. I realized that God wanted me (us) to go deeper. On the surface, " The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain" i s a fluffy, white, "holy and pure" ideal that we (as Jesus-followers) can spread over our lives and intentions like frosting. But have you ever been chewing a bite of cake and then your teeth grind on an eggshell that fell into the batter and got baked in? Awkward! Disgusting! Embarrassing (if you are the baker). And--I would argue--a part of life. The "perfect cake" is not "real life", and God wants to use our "eggshells" to turn them into a life-gi...

Middle school is hard. Remember? It's hard to fit in. It's hard to be "cool". It's hard to figure out what's happening with your body and emotions. Middle school can be rough. (9) I have told all your people about your justice.  I have not been afraid to speak out,   as you, O Lord, well know. (10) I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;   I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.  I have told everyone in the great assembly   of your unfailing love and faithfulness.  ~Psalm 40:9-10 Were we telling all our people about ( God's) justice in middle school? I'm not sure I remember doing that. Whipping my braided pony-tail to hit a boy in the face in the library, yes, but sharing about my faith in Jesus, no. Middle school is hard. I was hard too. And so, I wish I had the testimony of telling everyone in the great assembly   of your unfailing love and faithfulness but I was not telling everyone that. S...

(38) “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.” They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.” (39) Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. ( 40) So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred. (41) Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. ( 42) They all ate as much as they wanted, ( 43) and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. ( 44) A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed. ~Mark 6:38-44 The loaves and the fishes, Lord! You do not need volume. You do not need numbers. You do not need existing conditions. You do not need physical preparedness. You just do the miracle. Do the miracle for us, Lord. In the middle of the miracle/as ...