1In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He existed in the beginning with God. 3God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5The light shines …
Category: Daily Reads, Uncategorized Tags: 2020, advent, anxiety, chaos, Christian, Christmas, daily, depression, devotional, doubt, fear, Jesus, pandemic, scripture, worry
The other day, as sometimes happens, my spirit was agitated within me. I could feel myself becoming unsettled over current events even as I carefully monitored what I allowed into my mind. Returning to my sewing, I considered the unrest I experienced and talked to God about it while I stitched. As I sat there, …
Category: Daily Reads, Uncategorized Tags: anxiety, chaos, Christian, daily, depression, devotional, fear, god, healthy, Holy Spirit, hope, hopeless, identity, Jesus, pandemic, reverence, scripture, social justice, worry
I don’t consider myself to be a reckless person. Bungee jumping, parachuting, sky diving, roller coasters — all of these seem reckless to me. These are things I might participate in but all of them are steeped in risk. I know there are others who would not consider these to be risky activities. I agree …
Category: Daily Reads, Uncategorized Tags: anxiety, attachment, chaos, Christian, COVID-19, daily, depression, devotional, fear, god, grace, Holy Spirit, identity, Jesus, outrageous, pandemic, reckless love, reverence, ridiculous, scripture, transformation, worry
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! So Jesus told them this story: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he …
Category: Daily Reads, Uncategorized Tags: anxiety, chaos, Christian, COVID-19, daily, depression, devotional, encouragement, fear, god, holy, Holy Spirit, identity, inspiration, Jesus, lost, pandemic, reverence, scripture, sheep, shepherd, worry
I grew up on a farm bordering a river. Eighty acres of the property is a conifer woods along the river. The bank of the river is a great place to watch the sunset. One evening, a friend and I decided to go to the river and do just that. During the blue hour following …
Category: Daily Reads, Uncategorized Tags: anxiety, chaos, Christian, daily, darkness, devotional, diet, encouragement, fear, god, healthy, Holy Spirit, hope, hopeless, inspiration, Jesus, normal, pandemic, renewed, sabbath, scripture, Sunday, worry, worship
Thirty-three years ago, I experienced tremendous loss when my first pregnancy ended in miscarriage. I didn’t know how to lose a baby. I had never walked that way before and neither had any of my close friends. I felt sad, but didn’t know if that was okay. How long could I be sad? My closest …
Category: Daily Reads, Uncategorized Tags: anxiety, change, chaos, Christian, daily, daily life, devotional, encouragement, fear, god, Holy Spirit, inspiration, Jesus, pandemic, scripture, tremble, uncharted, worry
We are a “self” consumed society. Opening the Google search bar and typing in “self,” resulted in all kinds of interesting options. Self-efficacy, self-actualization, self-esteem, self-sufficient…all focused on understanding our self. There are books, conferences, studies devoted to understanding our true self, exposing the false self, living from a place of integrity. All of these …
Category: Daily Reads, Uncategorized Tags: anxiety, change, chaos, Christian, daily, devotional, encouragement, fear, hope, hope deferred, hopelessness, inspiration, Jesus, pandemic, renewal, revelation, scripture, self-care, self-directed, self-preservation, self-sacrifice, self-talk, waiting, worry
I am a journaler. Not an everyday sort of journaler but a regular writer. This week I filled a journal I started in January of 2019. As I prepared to write my final entry, I turned back to review the previous year. On March 25, 2019, I wrote this: I wonder if we all slowed …
Category: Daily Reads, Uncategorized Tags: anxiety, change, chaos, Christ follower, daily, daily devotional, depression, despair, devotional, disciple, fear, god, gratitude, help, Holy Spirit, hope, hopelessness, Jesus, pandemic, worry
So what should we do while we wait for God’s promises to be realized? Why is he taking so long? And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. And remember, our Lord’s patience …
Category: Daily Reads, Uncategorized Tags: anxiety, change, chaos, Christian, daily, devotional, fear, god, Holy Spirit, hope, hope deferred, Jesus, joy, love, pandemic, peace, renewed, waiting, worry
Suddenly… Immediately… Right now… What do these words mean to you? The gospel of Mark is known for his use of the term “immediately.” He portrays Jesus as the servant and a servant acts immediately when called upon. He doesn’t ponder, consider, contemplate if he will act or when. He responds when called. So Jesus …
Category: Daily Reads, Uncategorized Tags: anxiety, change, chaos, Christian, conspiracy, courage, COVID-19, daily, devotional, encouragement, fear, god, help, helplessness, Holy Spirit, hope, hope lost, hopelessness, inspiration, Jesus, overcomers, pandemic, renewed, scripture, vision, worry