Being Noticed
September 8, 2025 by Cheri Cowell
Filed under Daily Devotions, Worship
I’ve been traveling for several weeks, so when someone at church said to me, “I’ve missed you, where have you been?” it felt good. It felt good to be noticed. I wonder how many people come to church each week wondering if anyone noticed them? Is that why they stop coming, because no one noticed them? Every person is not only noticed by God but also loved deeply by Him. You are loved by Him and noticed by Him. He knows when you are missing-in-action, when you are hiding because of shame, or like me, just away and coming back.
The Lifter of My Head
September 6, 2025 by Cynthia Ruchti
Filed under Daily Devotions, Personal Growth
When the delivery guy brought the flowering plant, several delicate blossoms danced above a mound of glossy, wide leaves.
Three days later, the stems of the blossoms drooped like overcooked linguini. I’d forgotten to water the plant.
It’s not often that the florist delivery team stops at my house, so I felt especially bad that in the rush of other concerns, I’d neglected such a simple thing as water.
Praying For My Son
September 4, 2025 by James Pence
Filed under Daily Devotions, Family
The news hit me like a punch in the stomach.
“Dad, I’m deploying to Iraq next month.”
From the day my son enlisted in the Army, I knew this day might come, but still I wasn’t prepared for it. Not only was Chris headed to Iraq, but he was going to be stationed in one of the few remaining “hot spots” in the country. If that weren’t enough, he was the gunner on an assault vehicle—one of the most vulnerable jobs.
Busy As Ants
September 1, 2025 by Cheri Cowell
Filed under Daily Devotions, Humorous
“As boring as watching ants,” the saying goes. I believe the person who created this saying has never watched ants. Have you? They are fascinating.
I was weeding the other day and came across an ant bed. As I paused to watch them I was struck by how busy they were, each one doing their own thing, not caring what the other ants were up to. They seemed to be driven by a natural instinct to forge ahead no matter what obstacles were laid before them. To test this theory, I created a large log barrier in their path, and without missing a step they discovered ways around the obstacle. They continued in their pursuit of food and other things, which they dutifully carried into their home. God wants us to be more like ants, dutifully carrying out our jobs in spite of the obstacles that may come our way.
Thinning
August 30, 2025 by Cynthia Ruchti
Filed under Daily Devotions, Life Topics
Some days seem like a tripped fire alarm—loud, unnerving, and adrenaline-spiking. Even when we hit our to-do lists hard, we sink deeper into task-debt, finding three new projects for every one we partially finish.
Slow down? Sure. We can do that.
We’ll just cut out…
