Corona Devotionals

Has God put something on our hearts and in our hearts? Then He will do it. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  ( 24)  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.   ~I Thessalonians 5:23-24 ~~~  Does it (whatever our "it" is today) seem too big for us to handle? Remember that the battle is the Lord's , not ours.  (But we will have to make the decision to let Him  lead and fight it.)     And the victory  is the Lord's also...will we give Him the authority and reins to gain it?  "It" (... all of our "it's" in this life), are too big for us to handle on our own.  But when God  handles our feats, then...(often against all odds),  we have a testimony, Friends.  When we "let God", then we have our latest account of how God has proven Himself (again) i...

Psalm 100 (1)Shout for joy   to the   Lord , all the earth.  ( 2)  Worship the  Lord  with gladness;  come before him with joyful songs.  ( 3)  Know that the  Lord  is God.  I t is he who made us, and we are his; w e are his people, the sheep of his pasture. ( 4)  Enter his gates with thanksgiving a nd his courts with praise;  give thanks to him and praise his name.  ( 5)  For the  Lord  is good and his love endures forever;  his faithfulness continues through all generations.  ~Psalm 100:1-5  ~~~ Have we hugged our God today?   Psalm 100  invites us to enter-in joyfully to God's presence and to praise Him today.  Throughout the Psalm  are invitational words and phrases to schedule our day today in worship of our Lord. Shout, worship, come before, know, give thanks, praise His name... These words speak of speechlessness before ou...

I spent a few hours in a bar last Saturday night, and if you know me...you know that I don't frequent bars, but I decided after that night that maybe I should . Nah, not for the alcohol (I  don't drink)  or loud music...but it sure is easy to visit with the people in a bar.  They are approachable and open, and open to Jesus .   The bar was hosting a community-event and as I moved through the crowds and visited with people that I knew and people that I didn't...God made it easy to share about Him. At one table I reminisced with a husband and wife that I hadn't seen in ten years, about when our children played soccer together in elementary school.  I thanked the dad who used to provide free foot-skill training for our kids on Summer mornings.  I let him know (the truth) that it had made a difference in the abilities of our children.  I saw his eyes moisten, and he thanked me for sharing that and said that it made his night.   What if we re...

What are we doing with our lemons?   Lemons are so  sour.  Bitter.  To taste a lemon in its raw form causes our face to contort and our taste buds to revolt at their tart acidity.    When life  gives us lemons...what are we doing with them?   When life (circumstance/diagnosis/grief/sorrow/ reality )  in its raw form causes our heart and our spirit to contort, and our hope to revolt...what do we do? What are we doing with our life-lemons today?    The  Lord  himself goes before you and will be with you;  he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”  ~Deuteronomy 31:8 ~~~ I've attended hundreds of soccer games for my kids over the years, but today I was blessed (for the first time) to sit in the stands for a power soccer  game...which is played by people confined to wheelchairs.   The wheelchairs are automatic (and fast!), and are outfitted with ...

Sin.  Consequence.  Discipline.  Justice. ~~~ I can remember occurrences back in grade school when a few kids would break the rules or abuse privileges in the school day, and then our whole class would have to pay the price and miss recess.   Sometimes the behavior and errors of others can affect us directly. And in Ohio, most middle schools will take a field trip to Washington D.C. to see the monuments, buildings, and offices that hold such meaning and foundation for our Nation.  But I know of at least one middle school class that was so irreverent, disobedient, and wild- that the entire class trip to D.C. was cancelled that year. Sometimes the behavior and errors of others can affect us directly. Such is sin and it's effects and affects over us and others.   To be sure-- we are sinful --every one of us.   ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  ~Romans 3:23 First--we must accept  our sinfullness, and ...