Pastor’s Blog
Daily Devotion July 13, 2023
“Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart” (Proverbs 27:19, MSG).
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The earliest known use of this phrase comes from the third century B.C. The premise is founded on the idea that inner beauty is of greater import than physical attractiveness.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The earliest known use of this phrase comes from the third century B.C. The premise is founded on the idea that inner beauty is of greater import than physical attractiveness.
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Daily Devotion July 12, 2023
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, ESV).
Earlier this year, a Spanish navy ship was sent out to sea to charter new nautical maps. Ironically, the ship lost its way. The Malaspina was exploring an area west of the Mediterranean island of Ibiza when it grounded itself in the shallows. The funny thing about the crew’s ordeal is that the name Malaspina in English means to have a bad feeling.
Earlier this year, a Spanish navy ship was sent out to sea to charter new nautical maps. Ironically, the ship lost its way. The Malaspina was exploring an area west of the Mediterranean island of Ibiza when it grounded itself in the shallows. The funny thing about the crew’s ordeal is that the name Malaspina in English means to have a bad feeling.
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Daily Devotion July 11, 2023
“I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself” (Philippians 3:12, GNT).
I love the long ball. (This is the slang term for a home run in baseball). Last evening, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., won the All-Star Home Run Derby matching his father’s 2007 title. The Guerrero became the first father-son duo to receive this distinction. In all, Guerrero Jr. hit five-and-a-half miles worth of home runs on the night.
I love the long ball. (This is the slang term for a home run in baseball). Last evening, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., won the All-Star Home Run Derby matching his father’s 2007 title. The Guerrero became the first father-son duo to receive this distinction. In all, Guerrero Jr. hit five-and-a-half miles worth of home runs on the night.
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Daily Devotion July 7, 2023
“ Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt…” (Leviticus 19:34, CEB).
In 1984, I traveled to the former Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. I was familiar with the atrocities that were committed at this locale through history books. Yet, nothing I had learned intellectually prepared me for the emotions I experienced as I walked past a monument that read in Yiddish, “Never Again.”
In 1984, I traveled to the former Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. I was familiar with the atrocities that were committed at this locale through history books. Yet, nothing I had learned intellectually prepared me for the emotions I experienced as I walked past a monument that read in Yiddish, “Never Again.”
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Daily Devotion July 6, 2023
“The LORD is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children to the third and the fourth generation” (Numbers 14:18, NRSV).
In 1877, a researcher by the name of Richard Dugdale performed a study on the ancestries of Jonathan Edwards and Max Jukes. Jonathan Edwards was the renowned Reformed minister who helped shaped the theological and political landscape of America during his early years. Max Jukes lived at about the same time as Edwards and was infamous for his lewd behavior and drinking. While Edwards helped Christianity prosper in this country, Jukes despised Christianity. The contrast of these two men’s lives is witnessed even more profoundly in the lives of their ancestors.
In 1877, a researcher by the name of Richard Dugdale performed a study on the ancestries of Jonathan Edwards and Max Jukes. Jonathan Edwards was the renowned Reformed minister who helped shaped the theological and political landscape of America during his early years. Max Jukes lived at about the same time as Edwards and was infamous for his lewd behavior and drinking. While Edwards helped Christianity prosper in this country, Jukes despised Christianity. The contrast of these two men’s lives is witnessed even more profoundly in the lives of their ancestors.
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Daily Devotion July 5, 2023
“ Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice…Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:4,6 NLT).
In every life, we have some trouble.
But when you worry you make it double.
Don’t worry, be happy!
These are the words of Bobby McFerrin’s 1988 classic that reached number one on the Billboard Top 100 chart. McFerrin’s song became popular worldwide, particularly in Finland. This news should come as no surprise. The Finnish people are widely recognized as being the happiest people on earth.
In every life, we have some trouble.
But when you worry you make it double.
Don’t worry, be happy!
These are the words of Bobby McFerrin’s 1988 classic that reached number one on the Billboard Top 100 chart. McFerrin’s song became popular worldwide, particularly in Finland. This news should come as no surprise. The Finnish people are widely recognized as being the happiest people on earth.
Read more...