The Words of My Mouth
October 25, 2024 by Gina Stinson
Filed under Daily Devotions, Worship
By Gina Stinson
Praise, compliments, encouragement, lies, yelling, gossip, exaggeration, truth—all kinds of words that can come out of our mouths. It’s easy to see why we would need to join the Psalmist prayer for acceptable words to the Lord! The Bible warns us in the book of James about the daunting task of keeping our mouths under control. The job was tough then, and it’s tough now.
The verse is Psalms outlines the process pretty carefully. First, it talks about our physical and spiritual make-up—that battle between the flesh and the spirit—the tongue and the heart. There are so many times when the things we think about slip off our tongue with no thought. A word spoken in anger, gossip or a lie. There is almost always an aspect of regret or guilt after the words are spoken; and the heart plus the spoken word do not equal “acceptable in God’s sight.”
Stepping Out On Glass
October 23, 2024 by Peter Lundell
Filed under Daily Devotions, Personal Growth
By Peter Lundell
On a recent trip to Minnesota, my friend took me to visit the world-famous Guthrie Theatre. Along the Mississippi River side of the building is a four-by-six foot cutout in a floor four stories above ground. The cutout is fitted with an inch-thick, heavy-duty glass. (Unlike that in the Sears Tower in Chicago, this one’s free).
I walked to the edge, stopped, and shivered. My brain was programmed to know that I should never stand so close to a precipice. But it wasn’t a precipice; it was a glass floor. Still looking down, I stepped to the middle. My body jittered from foot to head. My brain insisted I was standing in midair or that at least the glass would give way, and I would plummet to my death. I knew it was okay—it had obviously been tested and built according to a code. But it didn’t feel okay. And that was the architect’s whole point.
Wind Blown Weeds or Deep Rooted Trees
October 21, 2024 by Sharon Autry
Filed under Daily Devotions, Family
By Sharon Autry
My kids and I have been working behind our house clearing a new walking path in the woods. In the process, we’ve pulled, clipped, and chopped our way through the itchy overgrowth. As we worked, I noticed two kinds of plants. Some of the growth is grass. You can tell because when you pull, it comes right up. The other takes more than a pull. We have to get the clippers and cut them down leaving the roots in the ground. These baby trees are surprisingly strong.
Who Decided?
October 18, 2024 by Cynthia Ruchti
Filed under Daily Devotions, Humorous
Who decided wrinkles are unattractive and to be avoided at all costs? What if we’re thinking backward on this issue?
Where is it written that a baby’s skin is the ideal? What if the skin of a baby is really under-done and the ideal is a mature-looking face? What if we looked at a baby’s soft, flawless complexion and thought, “Oh, that’s too bad. Well, give it time.”
Summer Clearance
October 17, 2024 by Gina Stinson
Filed under Daily Devotions, Life Topics
It’s that time of year. Stores are calling your name with signs that yell “Summer Clearance, Summer Markdowns, Summer Savings.” But in reality, the message they are sending is “Summer’s Over.” School starts in just a matter of days and routine will replace lazy days of summer. It’s a fact.
We love summer because it gives us a change of pace. Kids run wild, we vacation, we plan fun events…it’s a virtual party with spend-the-night guests and late nights. The variety makes it fun and come February we are literally salivating on it’s memory.
