Blogs for Christian Living
Read some devotional thoughts from prior church planters & lifelong pastors. Mark & Dallas share what they learn daily in their journey walking with God.
Be inspired to live in the fullness of purity that God has set as the standard for His children. Be encouraged to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and the implications of living in relationship with God.
In the past couple of posts, I’ve been sharing spiritual lessons from my garden. Today, we’re going to learn about pruning so that we can bear more fruit. One of the exciting parts of a garden is to watch the plants grow bigger and bigger. Then, the flowers form, and the anticipation of the fruit increases. We’ve been enjoying the produce from several of my plants for weeks now, but there’s a few of the tomato plants that have put on flowers without producing any fruit. These plants are growing right-side up, and I’ve dealt with the pests; so what is going on? Being new to gardening in South Texas,…
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We used to have a pastor that would sometimes drive a point home of being too inwardly focused by emphasizing his previous statement with the little children’s self-deprecating diddy, “Nobody likes me. Everybody hates me. Guess I’ll go eat worms.” And, if we’re honest, most of us have experienced this sentiment at least once in our lives. Although, none of us would find a diet of consuming worms desirable at all. Maybe you’ve found yourself thinking, “I’m not good enough; Nobody likes me; I’m too much, everybody always leaves;” or even, “Everything I do is wrong”. If so, you’re not alone. I’ve struggled with some of those thoughts. Surprisingly, or…
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“It must be nice to get all of that fresh produce for free.” A garden can provide an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables right in your own backyard. However, to say that it is free would be a great misstatement. There’s the cost of the seeds, or starter plants; the soil and amendments; fertilizer; pest control; and don’t forget the water. Even if you harvest seeds from last year’s fruit, and have the soil with some natural fertilizer available (think cows in the pasture or a compost bin), it still costs money to tend a garden. For anyone who has gardened, and done the math, they realize that sometimes…
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I enjoy gardening. There is something therapeutic about working in the soil and tending to plants. Watching a little seed sprout, then become a full-sized plant, and eventually producing something that I can enjoy eating. This year, I decided that I would start a garden, as it has been a long time since I last had one. I planned the spot in our yard to put a raised bed garden, determined the bed frame, and made plans of what to plant. I started the seeds in the house, then moved them to the garage with a grow light. Eventually, it was time to move them outside. Unfortunately, I’ve had some…
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I saw a post on Facebook that said, “Obedience brings blessings; disobedience brings conflict!” I often listen for partial or twisted “facts” related to a Christian walk. This statement sounds right at first glance, but then I was struck with the following. In our immaturity, we may misinterpret the responses of others and difficult circumstances. This statement can be warped and twisted to a point, that for a time, it describes both kingdoms; darkness and light. Does that last statement hit you the wrong way? Let me explain further. Choosing a Counter Cultural Context When we live in the ways of the Lord, or the Kingdom of Light, we choose…
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All of us face challenges in life. Some are big, some small, others are ginormous. As we face today’s challenges it is helpful to remember what the Lord has done to bring us through in the past. In 1 Samuel 17, we read the famous story about David facing Goliath. Much is made about David’s youth and Goliath’s size. But as I read the story recently, instead of thinking about youth and size, I thought about how God prepared David for this challenge. Not just to face the challenge, but to be victorious. Boldness vs. Fear “And David said to Saul, ‘Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your…
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A few years ago, we sold our house and moved full-time into the ministry’s fifth wheel travel trailer. Since then we have stayed in the trailer at more than 53 locations across 20 states; Mark stopped counting at some point. Yet, with all of the movement and variation of where the trailer was parked, we always woke up in our own bed which gave us some sense of comfort and stability. One of our daughters spent a few days and nights with us in Colorado and mused about life in the 5th wheel. “It’s a little disconcerting to wake up in the same space, but walk out to something completely…
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A New Year has come, and for many, that means making resolutions for things that we intend to do this year. Some want to lose weight, or improve their health in some way. Resolutions are generally goals that we believe will improve our life. These are good things. Yet, how many actually make it to the goal? A common resolution of losing weight and getting in shape leads to a substantial bump in new gym memberships in January. Yet, about 50% of new members quit within six months (if you believe the internet). Another internet statistic says that 80% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned by February. A New Paradigm…
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The wilderness. We read about it in the Bible; Mark’s preached and written on it before; and we’ve experienced our own wildernesses; individually and as a couple. Today, I saw not one but two thoughts on the wilderness. I’ve come to learn that anytime something is repeatedly highlighted, it may be God trying to get my attention. One thought presented the position that sometimes it is our response causing the delay of exiting the wilderness because of complaining. The other posits, “God does not lead us into the wilderness to destroy us; He leads us into the wilderness to deliver us.” (See Deuteronomy 29:5-15.) For the Israelites, God provided while…
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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, NIV Come Quick! “Mark!?! Mark!?!” I could hear the panic in her voice even though she was trying to keep herself under control. I opened the door to find our slightly frantic neighbor from across the street. “Hi! Can Mark come over? He’s such a good guy, and we have a snake in the house,” was her desperate cry for help. Now, while I agree, Mark is definitely a “good guy”, I happen to know that neither of us does snakes well. My aversion had some reinforcement when I thought…
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