Daily Devotions

 So many movies about saving Christmas. You’ve got little boys, dogs, reindeer, snowmen, elves, cats, chipmunks, and so many more all trying to save Christmas. Then we’ve got all the sappy movies with each one telling us the true meaning of Christmas. So far the meaning of Christmas has been all about family, friends, relationships, romantic love, giving, helping, forgiveness, kindness, and again the list goes on.  Bottom line there is only one true hero of Christmas and only one reason why he came. It’s in the name. The true hero of Christmas is Christ. The reason he came was to seek and to save that which was lost. Christmas was a rescue mission. Jesus Christ came to save us. God knew we needed rescue so instead of sending a conqueror, a politician, a judge, a law enforcement officer, a doctor, a lawyer, another priest, or any other myriad of possibilities he chose to specifically send us a Savior.  You see our greatest need was to be rescued from our own sinful nature. We were far a

To bless someone is to speak well of them and to share your heart of love over them. In the Old Testament we read the story of Moses and the people of Israel. Whenever they came together to be instructed by the man of God on how to live and do right they were to be blessed. God himself gave Moses these words of blessing. He told Moses that every time they came together before they were dismissed he was to speak this blessing over them. Words are powerful. With words we can build up or tear down. We can encourage or discourage. We can make happy or sad. We have in our mouths the power of life and death. We can criticize, demean, and belittle with our words and even with our tone and volume of voice. We can increase, uplift, and give joy just as easily with our words. Often we have this idea that God is so disappointed in us every day! That he is always shaking his head in disgust and disbelief. I’m am embarrassed to admit that somewhere along the line I became a name caller. It just hap

They say opportunity knocks but temptation kicks the door in! Well I’m not sure about that but one thing I do know for sure is that there are plenty of opportunities all around us each and every day. Opportunities to do good. We can start with the simple words of “Yes, please!”, and “Thank you!”, or “I’m sorry.”, and of course “I love you.” Of course we can do more but that’s a good place to start. Being civil to each other in these days of cancel culture and political rhetoric goes a long way to heal wounds and deflect anger.  There are other ways that can be more weighty and substantial when it comes to doing good. We can take a meal to someone who is sick. We can give of our time and sit and listen to the broken-hearted. We can send a card of encouragement. We can give sacrificially of our treasure to help someone down on their luck. The bottom line is that there are plenty of ways to do good to others because the opportunities to do so are all around us if we would just look we wil

Life isn’t perfect. It never will be this side of heaven. Nevertheless there are so many things to give God thanks for. When we change our perspective and begin to look not at what we are missing but at what we actually have we will begin to see a new world of thanksgiving open up before us.  Do you have a roof over your head? Praise Him! Do you have food in the fridge? Thank Him! Do you have family that loves you? Give Him glory! Do you have a job? Do you have clothes to wear? Do you have a comfy bed to sleep in? Are you safe? Is there joy in your heart? Is there a song bubbling over inside of you? Do you have enough or even more than enough? Are you in relative good health? Do you have children and grandchildren or even great grandchildren?  If we have the things we need and we are able to share with those who don’t then we understand what being grateful is all about. A heart that is overflowing with thanksgiving can’t help but spread the bounty with others. Let your mouth overflow w

 Had some knee pain a few years back and went to my doctor. As doctors are in the habit of telling you what you really don’t want to hear he didn’t disappoint. He there’s really nothing wrong but you could lose some weight. I was offended and told him I was not fat. He agreed but he said that if I just lost 5 pounds it would make a marked improvement on my knee since that would be five pounds less it would have to carry.  Admittedly 5 pounds isn’t too much. We eat at least that in crawfish! So I did lose the 5 pounds and it pains me to say that doc was right. My knee got better. It’s mind boggling how just a little bit of weight loss can have such a profound effect. This post is not calling you fat so relax fatty.  I am wondering though how much weight of worry and anxiety we carry around with us. It’s become such a normal part of our life that we are simply inseparable at this point. We are like conjoined twins! We don’t even give it a second thought. We worry about so many things tha

 God’s word tells us that we need to love our neighbors as ourselves. Honestly there are some people who make it a real challenge. It is at times very difficult to demonstrate love. It’s so easy on the other hand to show love to those we like, those we agree with or who think like us. We have something in common so we have a starting point.  In today’s verse we are given an inside look at how real love works. True genuine love flows from a place of security. When we feel secure in being loved ourselves we are then completely able to release that same kind of love. Think of it like food. When we have an abundance we are quite content to share our bounty with those in need. However if our own supply is scant so is our generosity. We become stingy because we become afraid of running out. God loves us with an unconditional, unending, boundless, deep, profound, unexplained love. The Bible says that while we were his enemies he died for us. When we truly grasp his amazing love for us and bas

Thanksgiving is much more than a day to stuff ourselves with delicious food. It is a way of life. Like any other attitude you get better at it the more you practice it. While it may be very easy to be thankful for the big things it’s good to learn being thankful for the everyday things as well. Thankful for the sunshine. Thankful for waking up in a comfy, warm bed. Thankful for the bounty of food we enjoy. Thankful for work and coworkers. Thankful for the clothes we wear. The list is endless. Being thankful may take some time but once you get in the habit you’ll find yourself being thankful regularly because you start to see just how blessed you are right now. You begin to find beauty in unexpected places. While taking a stroll or sitting on your front porch you notice that your vision has begun to change. Where once there was complaining you begin to be thankful. Instead of complaining about the mountain of laundry you become thankful for having clothes to wear, machines to wash and d

I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. Rich is better. There are however certain lessons that can only be learned in poverty. Likewise there are also lessons that can best be learned when we have more than enough. Money is amoral. Meaning it is neither good nor evil in and of itself. It is our attitude towards money that make all the difference in the world. Money is simply a tool and like all tools we need good instructions on how to properly operate it. Money makes a great servant but a very poor master.  In today’s verse the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy to encourage and instruct him. No instruction is complete without talking about money. He writes that Timothy should avoid the love of money. He encourages him to learn to be content with what he already has. Honestly we all like a little extra cash now and again mostly now. When we are in service to others we must constantly check our hearts to make sure our motives stay pure. It’s easy to lose focus. It’s far too easy to tell ourselv

 We have all at one time or another misplaced our faith in someone or something only to be sadly disappointed. It seems we go through life trying and testing in pursuit of something or someone that would be our rock. We long for stability, dependability, assurance of something we can rely on. Early on it’s a parent, a teacher, a friend, a mentor, a coach, a priest, rabbi or minister. It can be the person we fell in love with and started a family with. We want to know that we can trust this person to always be there, to always be the one we can count on, the one who won’t let us down. The reason there are so many broken-hearted people is because they have discovered that there is always a chink in the armor. The person we thought had unimpeachable character has failed us. Our world begins to come apart. Our faith shatters. We get angry at God, we leave the church, we divorce, we quit the job, we avoid our former acquaintances. We become skeptical. We become hard hearted.  Trusting someo

 According to God’s word we all have an appointment that simply cannot be canceled. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, how intelligent you are, how gifted and talented you may be the appointment is sure and set in stone. It comes to all young and old for it is no respecter of persons. I tend to believe that although it is definitely set that we will all have to make that appointment we are also given power to either speed it up or push it back some for ourselves and also for these unfortunately but ultimately it will still be kept like it or not. That appointment is death. The rich and poor, prince and pauper, king and servant, will lay in the dust when their days are over. There simply is no escaping it. Go ahead and take the herbs, essential oils, vitamins, exercise, diets, and any other measure you want. It may push back the appointment and it may cause you to live a healthier quality of life but those things cannot stop the inevitable. Here’s the good news! There is a way t

Transient, fleeting, temporary, a wisp of smoke, are all ways to describe this amazing life we live. We only pass this way once. It is the very fact that we get one life to live that makes this life so precious and something to be cherished. Death is a stark reminder that it all comes to an end. It also reminds us to live our life to the fullest. Go ahead and dance in the rain. Take that chance on starting your own business. Move to another city, country, region, and explore this amazing breathtaking planet of ours. Learn a new language. Try a new skill. Quit your job and attempt something more satisfying. Stop worrying about what others may think of you and take the plunge. A wise man once told me that if you ever think you are irreplaceable just remember that at your funeral people will be wondering what’s for lunch. You and I will only be a memory if at all. So live now. Travel to far off places! Try an exotic dish. Swim with the sharks, go skydiving, try snorkeling, and quit wastin

 We tend to avoid unhappy, whiny, complaining , annoying people and we gravitate towards people are are joyful, grateful, and happy. It’s human nature to avoid those we feel decrease us and lean toward those who we feel increase us! You leave some people feeling totally drained and exhausted by all their drama. We love hanging around others who make us feel good about ourselves, about life in general, about everything. These people fill us up and we enjoy their company. I know which group of people I want to be a part of. In today’s verse we are reminded that unlike us God wants to be with us no matter which one of those groups of people we currently fall into. You see as life would have it we actually don’t always live in one group or the other. We all go through difficult, drama filled seasons when we are just not much fun to be around. The time when we need close friends is the time we are most unbearable and we end up repelling the very ones we need the most. Not Jesus. He wants us

Technology is so amazing these days. Our smartphones now contain more power than desktop computers of only a few years ago. The speed at which we can now stay connected is spellbinding. Social media, facetime, emails, texting and don’t forget actual phone calls have made it easier than ever to connect with others. The crazy thing is that while we can instantly connect with someone on the other side of the globe we still have trouble connecting to the person in the same room. We’ve all seen the couples at a fancy restaurant both looking at their smartphones instead of talking to each other. What they are saying is that what is on their social media is more important and more entertaining than connecting with the person sitting across from them. Not a good message at all. Truth is that connecting with others in person takes a lot of hard work. It’s easier to interact online! Today’s verse talks about staying connected to Jesus in order to produce good fruit in our lives. The truth is tha

     You ever feel like you’re all that and a bag of chips and then other days you feel you just wanna crawl under the covers? The struggle between insecurity and pride is real and more common than people would like to admit. So many things can affect how we feel about ourselves. Our emotions can fluctuate daily at times. Not getting enough exercise, sleep, nourishment, rest, or play can all have a powerful impact on our psyche. If we take meds we have to add in the effects or side effects that can play with our feelings.      As followers of Christ we are often told that pride is evil but actually it is a healthy emotion within limits. I firmly believe in taking pride in my work, or as a father being proud of my children but not in a bragging kind of way but in a grateful to God kind of way. Conversely humility is always lifted up as a commendable virtue until of course someone wants to turn you into a doormat.      What can help us find a good healthy balance between these two powerf

 Growing up on Galveston Island many of my childhood games involved hunting for famous pirate  Jean LaFitte’s buried treasure usually by digging lots of holes in my own backyard! I found bugs, nails, cool rocks, a penny once or twice, but never the typical treasure chest full of diamonds and pearls and of course candy because I was a kid and what kind of buried treasure didn’t have candy? My dreams usually ended by me waking up with empty clenched fists as I grasped for all the delicious candy only to be sorely disappointed. Needless to say that Halloween was like a dream come true as we would go around and get free candy from all the neighbors! Somehow the next morning a lot of the candy was gone! Now I know why my dad was roly poly.  Who would have known that as adults we’d still be digging for that yet undiscovered treasure. We buy lottery tickets in hopes of hitting the big one! We chase after experiences to reach the ultimate high. We work all hours to catch the American dream. Ma

     We’re living in a time when people think it’s ok to have relative truth. You have your truth and I have my truth. It becomes subjective. We have people who totally deny reality, even scientific knowledge, and claim a truth that is nothing but lies and an illusion. It seems that truth is so elusive and somehow we’ll never truly grasp it so we go on searching and of course constantly adjusting our definition of truth.      We even take scriptures like today’s verse and twist it to our satisfaction or misapply it. Always read a verse in its context to truly understand it. Jesus is the one who spoke these words. He was speaking to a very religious group of people who had made God’s truth a real burden to bear and had so twisted the truth that it was more like bondage than freedom.      Jesus says that if they would listen to his teachings they would know the truth and would find freedom. They were offended and claimed that as descendants of Abraham they had never been slaves which was

     A few years ago coming back from a motorcycle trip to Sturgis I decided to stop in Colorado Springs to head up Pikes Peak on my motorcycle. I’d been up there before but never on my bike. It was quite exhilarating! It was late August but there was snow towards the top. Once at the top the view was breathtaking as always. It’s awe inspiring to be able to experience God in the beauty of his creation.      There really is nothing quite like it. You feel you could almost reach out and touch God up there. Those places of quiet reflection are to be found all around us in nature. Taking a walk along the beach, canoeing down a lazy river in east Texas, touring the coast Kawaii in a catamaran all will take you to a place of wonder and majesty of creation and leave you in awe of our creator.      There is another place where you can experience God but it is mostly a place where you can experience him with a group of other likeminded people. We refer to it as church, small group, cell group,

     We have faith in a lot of things, a lot of people and circumstances. Sometimes our faith in these things is rewarded by reality but more often than not if we are truthful with ourselves our faith is greatly disappointed. We have faith we’ll get that new promotion and then it goes to someone else. We have faith the new house will go through and then it falls apart at the last minute. We believe in someone when ends up betraying us. The list goes on.      When things don’t pan out like we believed that should have we use cliches like, “It just wasn’t meant to be” or “God has something or someone better for you” or  some other well worn phrase in an attempt to soften the blow. We often take bible verses out of context and twist and turn them to fit our situation. So called “prophets” then come out of their caves to tell us why things didn’t happen or some other ridiculous mystery always left open to interpretation.      Today’s verse is talking about one kind of faith. Faith in God.

     Not sure if I’m weird when it comes to Mondays but I like Mondays. It’s the start of a new work week. I’m thankful for work because it provides for my family. A new week begins and we get to start all over having hopefully learned a few things from the previous week good or bad that will make this a great week. Maybe I’m just a hopeless optimist. Maybe it’s all about attitude. I don’t want to go dragging thru the day complaining about it being Monday. I’m looking forward to great things this week.      A favorite quote from an all time great movie, Anne of Green Gables, “Tomorrow is fresh with no mistakes in it.” This day will be what I have determined it will be and if things don’t quite go according to plan that’s ok because hopefully I get another dawn tomorrow to try again. In the meantime I want to celebrate each day as a gift from God.      Today’s verse talks about a new day dawning. People are drawn to those who are joyful and happy. It turns out that joy is contagious. We

     My youngest grandson is a typical toddler. He brings us such great joy. The one thing he likes doing best is to mimic everything his big sister does. If she jump offs the sofa sure enough there he goes too! What ever she eats he wants some too. If she gets in trouble for doing something he is right there with her because he did it as well. He can’t help himself. He’s never done this stuff before so he plays follow the leader and in this case his “leader” is a slightly older sister with a mind of her own. They make quite a pair!      Without her even realizing it she has a disciple. She is mentoring and doesn’t have a clue. She is leading even if she’s not sure where she’s headed herself. She is just going all the time and enjoying her life and living out loud the only way she knows how. She tests the limits and he does too! It’s part of growing up.      Many adults today don’t realize that they have others who are looking at them and are following their lead. To go and make discip

     Faith pleases God. It’s that simple really. It means that I believe what he said. The Bible is his love letter to me. It tells me so much about him. It also reveals a lot about who I am according to him. Often what God says about himself and about us goes contrary to what the world around us says. Faith is choosing to believe God over all other voices out there including my own.       Faith says I trust God over my own feelings and emotions. Faith says I’m going to follow God’s ways and not my own because it pleases him. We hear so much nonsense today even from the religious world about how if we trust God everything will turn out all right but that is actually not what scripture teaches at all. Just read Hebrews chapter eleven and you’ll see many of the heroes of the faith were martyred for their witness. Some stoned to death, others sawn in half, some hung, some beheaded but they all had one thing in common. They had faith and it pleased God.      There are times when we will fa

     It seems pretty easy for us who live in America to acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. Our nation was founded on biblical principles so it’s kinda ingrained in our nations DNA. For many parts of the world as in the days when this passage was written it was often a death sentence to openly confess belief in Jesus. Competing with Caesar worship was just not a good idea back then.      Today in countries like Iran or China to believe in Jesus means to be ostracized from society, family, friends, and possible imprisonment and persecution. John, the writer of this passage had himself suffered persecution and exile for his faith. To acknowledge in this verse means to confess belief in. It’s not a head knowledge but a deep, profound, life-changing heart knowledge.      It means we accept that Jesus came directly from God and is the one who can truly save us from our sins. It’s not just a mouth confession but a lifestyle confession meaning that our whole way of living is changed by

    Black Friday is this month and it’s coming fast! All the pushing and shoving just to get a great deal on this years hottest toy or maybe that big screen tv you’ve been dreaming about. We like to pat ourselves on the back and talk about what we had to do to get that elusive prize at such a great price.      We can’t wait to tell others about our prowess and cunning, our hunting skills, the dangers we surmounted, and the poor saps we beat out to get the last one in the store! We love to hear the gasps and see the looks on people’s faces when we tell them of our great shopping exploits. Then if we are extremely lucky we will get the chance to overhear them tell someone else how amazing and truly special we are. It’s so much fun!      Today’s verse talks about the glory of the Lord. The best way I could think of to explain it was my little story. In the story we are the main focus. We are the hero! When we begin to talk about what God has done for us he is the center of attention. When

     The more things change the more they stay the same. Change is inevitable. It can happen very slowly over the span of a lifetime or very rapidly even overnight. We’ve all experienced change. It’s just part of life. Parents often wish their kids would remain cute and small but that would actually not be a good thing because it goes against their very nature.      We are born to change and it happens again and again. Some changes we can orchestrate and other changes we have very little input. This time of year is so beautiful because the seasons change. With so many things changing all the time all around us it is comforting to know that our Lord and Savior does not change. He didn’t wake up today and decide not to love you anymore. He didn’t change his mind about being there for you. He doesn’t waver back and forth trying to decide if he likes you.      He is our solid rock when sudden unexpected change comes to shake our worlds apart. He is faithful when our emotions are all over t

     According to the Lord’s Prayer the forgiveness we receive is contingent upon how we forgive others. In fact Jesus said that our Heavenly Father will withhold forgiveness from us if we withhold forgiveness from others. God takes forgiveness very seriously and so should we. None of us is perfect. We all have our faults. It really comes down to treating others the same way we would want to be treated should roles be reversed.       I’m pretty sure everyone has needed forgiveness once or twice in our lives. A time when we hurt someone deeply by our words, actions or both! Asking to be forgiven takes a lot of humility. It’s not easy to admit we have failed someone, or that we brought them great hurt and pain. I’m reminded of the story of the little boy that grandpa was trying to explain the concept of forgiveness. Grandpa told the boy to drive a nail into the fence post. He explained that is what it was like when we hurt someone like driving a nail into them. Then he told the boy to ta

             Trying to be like someone else seems to come naturally most of our lives. It’s just part of the right of passage. As kids we often want to be like our superheroes. We admire policemen and firefighters and so many others that we look up to. Our kids would often come home from school having picked up some attitudes from their friends. My wife would say, “Where is my child?” because she would quickly notice the change in attitudes. She would reinforce the fact that she wanted who they genuinely were and not someone they were pretending to be.      We wanted to convey to our kids that we loved them just as they were warts and all and wouldn’t trade them for anyone in the world. Unfortunately so many of us carry this into adulthood. It’s as if we are trying to gain acceptance as someone else maybe because we somehow believe that we simply are not enough as ourselves. This actually stems from a perception that we don’t measure up the way we are.      I struggled with that mental

    One the most memorable trips I’ve ever taken was to the top of Pikes Peak. All the dangerous curves, tight twists and turns until you reach the summit. We actually drove up through a cloud! Once we reached the top at just over 14,000 feet above sea level our eyes were wide open as well as our mouths in breathless wonder! The awe inspiring views and majestic vistas beggar description.      Such breathtaking beauty. The views have inspired so many. I don’t remember how many times the only word I could get out was “Wow!” Words just fail to describe it. Today’s verse tells us that all of creation is a huge billboard to God. It shouts his name and his glory every day. From sunrise to sunset each day declares God’s existence. He created the big beautiful blue marble and hung it in space and then created humans to inhabit it. To deny the existence of God in the face of so much evidence is a fools errand.      Clearly we have no excuse for not knowing God. Open your eyes and see the majest