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 my life’s journey, I’m continually learning and growing. One of the areas that I’ve been developing in is gaining a better understanding of Father God’s heart for His children. He has an enormous heart of love for all of His kids. Through our work with ministers and exposure to various church bodies, I’ve cried tears over things I see His kids doing and know that He grieves these same things at an even deeper level. One area of my life that has caused me to know more about God’s incredible love is being a father. From the first time that I held my oldest to today, I’ve found there…
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“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16, ESV) When I was younger, one of the things I enjoyed on the long drives to my grandparents’ houses for Christmas was seeing the country houses that put lights out for decorations. It broke up the monotony of the…
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We were driving down the interstate, having just crossed from Colorado into Kansas shortly before five on a Friday afternoon. Suddenly, we lost power and started blowing smoke out of the tailpipe. My initial thought was, “Oh no! I’ve got to get safely to the side of the road.” The words that came out of my mouth were, “Lord, this is your truck. What do you want to do with your truck?” Very quickly after asking the question, the smoke stopped blowing, and the power came back. The message center on the dash alternated between two messages: “Exhaust filter 90% full” and “Exhaust system maintenance required – see dealer now”. …
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Every location has its own unique weather patterns, but everywhere you can live will have storms. Some places have hurricanes while others deal with tornadoes. There are places that experience sandstorms and others that get snow storms. The winds will blow, and the storm will rage, at some point, everywhere. As there are storms in the physical world, there are also storms in the spiritual. Some storms are emotionally driven, while others are trials or sufferings. A storm may bring an abundance of hardship or feel like a severe drought. Whatever the storms that come your way, they will be easier to navigate and get through if you have prepared…
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When I was younger, we used to say, “Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.” Of course, if we could keep sending the rain away because it was inconvenient, there would be catastrophic results. Elijah’s story Consider the story in 1 Kings 17-19. The rain stopped and would not return until Elijah commanded it to do so. In the season of drought, the Lord provided for Elijah by telling him to move and reposition near a ravine. In this place, God provided food and water. However, after a time, the stream dried up, and Elijah had to reposition again. God sent Elijah to a town and arranged what I…
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There’s a Rich Mullins song, “Sometimes by Step”, that I often get running in my head on my journey with God. Part of the chorus says, “Step by step You’ll lead me, and I will follow You all of my days.” This describes much of our life. We don’t know too many steps ahead, sometimes just one next step at a time. In June, I went for a hike with my kids on the Rainbow Trail in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. In the past, a six mile hike along the Rainbow wouldn’t be difficult for me or my dog, Ginger. If you’ve followed my blogs for a while, you’ve…
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Many refer to April 1st as April Fool’s Day and plan practical, and sometimes not so practical, jokes and pranks. We prefer to think of it as just another day in our journey with the Lord. This April 1st, we were closing up the trailer and starting our several thousand mile trek across the country. The plan was to make it to Magnolia, Arkansas this day. Before heading out, Mark was checking the air pressure in the trailer tires and, in his normal way, was conversing with the Lord. “Lord, I don’t really know the history of these tires. I don’t know how old they are, how many miles they’ve…
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When I was younger, we visited Heritage Park in Calgary, Alberta. There were parts of the park that I really enjoyed and others that I didn’t. I loved the old time candy store and ice cream shop. What kid wouldn’t? I didn’t love experiencing the sod shack/mud hut by stepping inside. I found it stuffy, closed in, and dark. It made it hard to breathe. Fast forward many years…Now, I have my own mud hut, which I share with Mark and our dog, Ginger. Not How I Roll Mark and I spent a period of time homeless and couch-surfing at the onset of founding Blue Fire Legacy. Numerous generous friends…
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There’s a story in the Bible about a man named Balaam. You can read the entire story in Numbers chapters 22 through 24. I’ll give you a brief summary. Balaam was not an Israelite but was a prophet who had some connection with God. A king hired Balaam to curse Israel. God told Balaam not to go, then to go, then on the way opposed his going, then said to go (gets a bit confusing). Balaam’s donkey spoke to him (not your everyday occurrence). Instead of cursing Israel, Balaam spoke blessings over God’s people. Don’t beat the donkey The first lesson that I’m learning from this story is that when…
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I have a small flashlight that sits on the corner of my desk. It’s easy to grab, and located fairly centrally in the trailer. When needed, it will pierce the darkness or illuminate a dark cabinet, so I can see as needed. But there is something about this flashlight that is required to make it work. Batteries. WIthout the batteries inside, it’s just a plastic and metal shell that isn’t worth anything. The power source God chooses us to do His work, bringing light into the darkness of this world. We often think that we are capable of accomplishing great things. And yet, without the power of the Holy Spirit…
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