Justified
November 4, 2024 by Cheri Cowell
Filed under Daily Devotions, Worship
By Cheri Cowell
Recently several high profile court cases played themselves out in the media. Emotions were high on both sides, and depending on which media outlet you listened to, when the verdict was pronounced justice had prevailed or had been done a disservice. I wondered what it must feel like for the victims in each case, and what it must feel like to the accused when the jury finds them not guilty when they are, or guilty when they aren’t. It is difficult to imagine a verdict that is truly just.
So Not My Gift
October 28, 2024 by Cynthia Ruchti
Filed under Daily Devotions, Worship
By Cynthia Ruchti
I caught myself saying it again the other day as I cleaned up the church kitchen after helping to serve snacks during fellowship time following the worship service.
Choosing how much to purchase and prepare for an unknown number of congregants is “sooooo not my gift.”
The family of a newborn is counting on me to provide their supper on Wednesday night. Me? I can cook. It’s not that. I actually cook pretty well. But I feel so much more comfortable writing a clever little poem for a baby shower than I do providing a meal. I told the deaconess in charge of scheduling meals for situations like this, “I found it funny, considering my crazy life this week. Rather than saying yes, I should have requested meals for ME!”
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.”
WORSHIP: All That Jazzy
October 15, 2024 by Kathy Carlton Willis
Filed under Daily Devotions, Worship
My Boston Terrier, Jazzy, worships me. Maybe worship is too strong of a word, but I don’t think so. She follows me from room to room just to be by my side. She’ll rest at my feet or beg to lie in my lap. When I take a nap, she jumps up in bed and pressed the small of her back against the small of my back. She covers me with her kisses and looks up at me with an expression of adoration on her face. She trusts me to provide for all of her needs and many of her wishes. When I come in the door, she can’t wait to greet me. Jazzy is content just being with me.
Whistle While You…
I envy those who can whistle. I couldn't whistle a tune if my life depended on it. Nothing can lift one's spirit more than listening to someone whistle his or her way through the day. Whether it is a ballad or a joyous tune, the whistler's way eventually makes it into the heart of everyone who is listening. Many an old black-and-white movie depicts the spell a whistling beau can place upon an unsuspecting woman. So, too, can a whistling man or woman, diffuse an angry scene, and soon every one is humming along. I often wonder if God whistles? He may. Jesus probably whistled while He worked in His father's carpentry shop, or while He walked from town to town. We are instructed, even commanded to whistle through the psalms. Really!
