Devotionals

You may think that my hiking boots are worn out. Maybe you are right, but I think of them as well-conditioned.  I’ve walked a lot of miles in these boots in the past three years (yes, they are only 3 years old). They have been some of the most comfortable boots I’ve owned.  As I…

How we see things can be very different than how others see them.  Our perspective is influenced by many factors including where we are in life, our past experiences, and our beliefs.   We live in the Wet Mountain Valley which, while about 8,000 feet in elevation, is relatively flat and low compared to the mountains…

Feelings, feelings, feelings.  We all have them. Some have got that loving feeling.  Others have feelings of dread. We know when things don’t feel right and wonder how long the good feeling will last.  Feelings are all around us. How much influence should our feelings have on what we do? How do our feelings affect…

Have you ever hidden money in a secret place?  Maybe you have a stash to help save for an extravagant gift or vacation. Perhaps it’s more practical like an emergency fund. Clay Pots Last year,  I had the privilege of traveling to Israel. At one of our stops we viewed the Qumran cave where the…

Back in January we had a clear night to view the full lunar eclipse dubbed the “Super Blood Moon”.  It was a marvelous, though very cold, experience. Where we live, there are very few lights at night, in fact, our county is designated a “dark sky community”, so when we have full moons, it can…

During our trip to Bangladesh, we were privileged to attend a few of the youth meetings.  During one of these evenings, the participants were engaged in their Bible memory challenge.  Mark and I were both very impressed as several of the students stood and recited a portion of 1 Corinthians 13. If I speak in…

When we were church planters, we got used to covering a lot of bases.  There just weren’t a lot of people to delegate various responsibilities to in those early days.  We started with boots on the ground, no starter congregation, and no permanent building. In fact, when we planned our home basement finish out, we…

Here in the mountains of Colorado we have a plant that, in my opinion, is an annoyance at best.  It is called Yucca. There are many variety of yucca, and while I have a personal bias against them, they can be beneficial and pretty in the opinions of some, so please don’t get bent out…

They say there are three voices in our heads – our own, God’s, and Satan’s. If you’re anything like me, you may struggle to differentiate between the three. Fortunately, God has been teaching me dependence and the sound of His voice, specifically through an injury these past 7 months. Struggling to Hear God’s Voice I…

In the fall of 2014, I had the privilege of learning about the “gift” of woundedness.  Dallas and I were going through a study, “In Christ’s Image” by Francis Frangipane. He taught about spiritual woundedness and how it is a gift that works to develop Christlikeness in us.  I was really struggling with the lesson…