Corona Devotionals

I heard some (really) good news through the grapevine the other day.  The son of a good friend of mine had received a big scholarship.  Big.  It's the news that every parent of a senior in high school longs to hear, and I couldn't wait to congratulate them.   I'm not sure what I expected her to say, but I imagined she might respond with, "We're so proud of him", or "He's worked really hard for this", but she didn't even mention her son in her response to me.   She mentioned God.   Well--she gave God the credit for blessing them with the scholarship.   ...Not her son.  ...Not herself.  ...Not fate.  ...Not justice.  ...Not earning or deserving. Just that they were blessed  to receive it.    Somehow, her response cut to the quick of my soul.  These were her words, and not God's Words, but they drew back the curtain of my pride and exposed me. For the word of God is living and active, sharpe...

I thought I was being ingenuitive the other day.  Resourceful, savvy, and even "green" were characteristics that I was attaching to myself like badges, as I recycled our drinking cups from a recent party and loaded them into the top drawer of our dishwasher.   " We can use these again!",  I declared to myself in triumph. But when the dishwasher cycle had finished, the cups were not true-to-form anymore.  Warped and wavy, they could not stand well on their own, and their rims were all flattened and rippled and wide, making it (most likely) impossible for anyone to drink from them again. I ruined them. Though we are overwhelmed by our sins,  you forgive them all.  ~Psalm 65:3 It was slightly uncanny, but I realized in that moment that the melted cups were like a show-and-tell prop for my spirit.   I was feeling (and now had a visual aid) that my sin and shortcoming had warped and waved me.  I (also) was not standing well on my ow...

Don't put Jesus back up on the cross. We know the miracle of Easter.   Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and He took on the sins of the entire world...of you and of me.  He was nailed to the cross and our sins hung there with...and upon Him. But three days later, He was resurrected from the dead, and so was our hope in Him...in forgiveness, and in eternal life together with Him in Heaven.  Jesus defeated death. Do we know this?   Have we been enlightened about it? Have we experienced the good things of Heaven (here on Earth) through God's presence with us here? (Which is the Holy Spirit.)  Have we shared in the Holy Spirit ? (That feeling/presence/knowledge/comfort/strength that we can can explain in no other way--- That's the Holy Spirit...Have we shared in the Holy spirit ? ) Have we tasted in the goodness of the word of God ? Have we tasted in the power of the age to come ? Or have we had even a glimpse of Heaven while here on earth? ....

Have you ever gotten your hand caught in the cookie jar?  You know the feeling...we thought no one would know, but then, they did.   The police officer clocked us going way over the limit, and soon flashing lights were in our rearview mirror, and we had to pull over. It was "just one peek" to our neighbor's test, but the teacher/professor saw it, and our grade resulted in an 'F". Caught and faced with our sin--Where do we go from there?   We have a choice in that moment  and in our life  afterwards--what will it be? I pray that with the speeding ticket or the failed test, or whatever sin we get caught in...we will always know that we have a loving God who forgives us when we repent, and He is waiting to walk with us as we start over fresh.   If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins  and purify us from all unrighteousness.  ~I John 1:9 Will we mess up?   Yes.  We all know that ...

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene   and the other Mary   went to look at the tomb.   (2)  There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  ( 3)  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  ( 4)  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.   (5)  The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  ( 6)  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.  ( 7)  Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”   (8)  So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, a...

Have we found any Easter eggs?    No--not the kind of Easter egg that's brightly (or pastel) colored and tucked behind a pillow on the couch, or that is sitting amongst books on a bookshelf.  Not that  kind of Easter egg.   I'm talking about Easter eggs that are hidden, yes, but not in a yard or a basket.  I am referencing the Easter eggs hidden in Disney movies.  Have we found any Easter eggs?   It is a known fact and (fan) game to search within Disney movies for hidden pictures, characters, and images that are from other Disney movies: a hidden reference, if you will...for the trained eye to catch.  An example "Easter egg" can be found in the below scene from "A Goofy Movie" (1995),  where all of the characters are Goofy-ish, except one: Mickey Mouse , who is tucked in with everyone else, but doesn't belong with everyone else.  This is an example of one of Disney's Easter eggs.   But I dare say that ...