Corona Devotionals

Have you ever heard the saying about someone having money that was "burning a hole in their pocket"...and so they spent it? I'm the same way, but with food.  If we have leftovers in the refrigerator for a day or two, then I just feel compelled to serve them or reinvent them so that they won't go to waste.  In a sense, food "burns a hole in my refrigerator", until we eat it or serve it.   So this morning when I saw some leftover cheese tortellini, cooked bratwursts, and a bag full of corn kernels that we had cut off of the cob the other night... something  had to be done, or rather, made. I decided to make soup. I find that chicken broth can connect almost any items into delicious harmony, and true-to-form, it melded my (leftover) items together really well.    I added a little cream to thicken things, and so with an embarrassing small amount of work, we had quite a tasty soup, and quite a vat of it.  I wasn't quite sure who I thought I might be feeding,

Was it you, Sharon?  It must have been you, Melanie.  I have a hunch it was you, Judi.  Or maybe it was Amy or Sylvia.  It might have been you, Dad, or I wouldn't be surprised if it was you, Wayne.  Possibly my sibling or it could have been you, Cheryle.   Which one of you was it?   I know  it was someone...and maybe it was a number of someones.   Was it you?   ...Have you been praying for us ?   I felt the results last night.   ~~~ And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.  ( 4)  Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.   ( 5)  Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.   ~Colossians 4:3-5 Which one of you  pray ed for us ?  That God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ ? I know that someone prayed for it, because last night  God open ed a door for our message (which is HIS message) , so that we ma

Have you ever made seven-layer Jello?  It's not at all difficult, but it does take some time to make, usually a couple of days.  Each layer (Jello and water, or Jello/water/evaporated milk) must be made and then poured into a 9x13 pan separately, and then given time to set until firm, before the next layer can be added.  It is a process, for sure, but when you are finished, it looks beautiful, even perfect.  Seven-layer Jello is a gorgeous dessert or side dish. And when I made my seven-layer Jello earlier this week, it looked perfect , until one of my family members lifted it out of the refrigerator to serve to our guests... and it wasn't perfect.   But it's a farce to pretend that even something that looks perfect...really is. Looks can be deceiving, and so can photos, stories, expectations, assumptions, and even devotionals.  None of us are perfect, and least of all me.  Least of all , me.   Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.     ~I

“Amen,  Lord ! May it be so.”  ~Jeremiah 11:5  ~~~ The  Lord  gave another message to Jeremiah. He said,  ( 2)  “Remind the people of Judah and Jerusalem about the terms of my covenant with them.  ( 3)  Say to them, ‘This is what the  Lord , the God of Israel, says: Cursed is anyone who does not obey the terms of my covenant!  ( 4)  For I said to your ancestors when I brought them out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt, “If you obey me and do whatever I command you, then you will be my people, and I will be your God.”  ( 5)  I said this so I could keep my promise to your ancestors to give you a land flowing with milk and honey—the land you live in today.’”   Then I replied, “Amen,  Lord ! May it be so.”  ~Jeremiah 11:1-5   ~~~ The Lord reminds us today of His covenant  with us.  But...wait a minute: What's a "covenant"?   A covenant is a relationship between two partners who make binding promises to each other and work together to reach a common goal. They’re often ac

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.    ~Hebrews 11:1 A light went out in our family this week. A patriarchal beacon that burned steady and true for eighty years flickered away.   When the light of a life well-loved goes out, you would expect darkness to follow, and if the world is our hope, then this is the case.   Emptiness, hopelessness and darkness surround death without Jesus.  But in  Christ and because of Christ: we have hope.   We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,  ( 20)  where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever...   ~Hebrews 6:19-20 If we know Jesus, then instead of darkness, we have the light of God's hope.  And w e have this hope as an anchor for the soul. If those that we love and have died  knew Jesus, then we can trust (in faith) that although their earthly light has been doused, they now burn brig

How can we give the love of God to others?   Friends...we give God's love to others simply by loving them like God does.  But the catch is... we must know God and His merciful love for us in order to love others like He does.  Otherwise, our love is fickle and shallow, and more about us  than them.  This is not God's love through us, this is love of ourselves.   Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  ( 8)  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.    ~I John 4:7-8 ~~~ How do we show God's love?  And specifically--how can we today?  First, we go back to the Source, and emulate it: How did (does) God show love?  His example is our starting point, and ever-marker.  ( 9)  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  ( 10)  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an at

(1)  The   Lord   is   my shepherd; I s hall not want.  ~Psalm 23:1 What are we wanting more than the Lord today? He is all  that we need for today and for our daily (and minute by minute) provision for the rest of our lives.   We want  so many things, but  the   Lord... the   Lord   is  all  that we need, and He cares for us  and our needs.  He is our shepherd.  We don't need to want  for more (W e can stop wanting for more) .  He is our "more" and His provision is enough and perfect. The   Lord   is   my shepherd; I s hall not want.  ~Psalm 23:1 ~~~ ( 2)  He makes me to lie down in green pastures;  He leads me beside the still waters.  ~Psalm 23:2 He will  still us.   The   Lord   is  our  shepherd... our good God, our guide and our Heavenly Father.  He knows what's best , and sometimes that is rest.   If we won't stop the madness or jump off the treadmill-of-life, somehow, someway, someday...The Lord will  make us  to lie down in green pastures.  He  will lead