Spiritual

I told my wife this morning, “you’re not the only one that hears from God in the shower”. She laughed out loud. Nature has so much to teach us about the character of God but if we look real closely we can also see the fall of man. I was peering out the window while in the shower this morning. Yes, we have a window in the shower, at eye height in case you were worried a bit. There on the ground near our bird feeders was a mourning dove making his way around…

2012 and 2013 were particularly difficult years for me. On the stress charts there were several events that infiltrated my life that most certainly occupy many of the first 5 places on those charts. A marriage of 33 years looks to be breaking apart, I’ve sold a business where I was expected to be employed after the sale for quite some time that doesn’t materialize, I move and become primary caregiver for an aging parent, and then try and decide what life looks…

"...that even winds and sea obey him?” If we ask that same question, we'll start to see the bigger picture of who Jesus Christ really is. In Matthew 8:23-27 we experience a unique moment with Jesus’ followers. His disciples are panicked. Imagine the wind - which had been funneled through a narrow gorge - pushing out over the sea of Galilee, making the water turbulent. Waves breaking over the bow of the ship; certain doom is imminent. The Greek word that'…

Kind of strange to be remembered as “blind Bartimaeus”. But growing up in the church and hearing teachers refer to this man in this way has become second nature. Probably not so natural for Bartimaeus. But his story lives in infamy. Let’s look at the passage in Mark 10. 46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 …

Each year for the past 3 years I’ve asked God for one word that would enable me to quickly grasp his theme for me for that year. So apropos were each of those words. As the year went on it became more and more evident what God was doing in my life and why that word was so relevant. Let’s start in 2014. A year that required me to step into the unknown in ways that I never had before. Continued major career change, address changes, relationship changes and health.…

Let’s start you off by reading 1 Kings 17. I know, it’ll take a few minutes but it’s worth it. Trust me. Now; Is there any particular verse that seems to jump out at you? Why does it seem to be more significant than others? Meditate on what the Lord is highlighting to you personally. This passage is full of people in dire and needy situations. Consider the number of needs presented in these verses. Elijah needed food, water, and shelter. The widow…

I was sitting in church, not long ago, gazing at the back of the stage during our opening worship song. Contemplating a question that came to me as I was staring at the cross. What significance is there in the point where the vertical timber and horizontal timber meet? The intersection? I quickly realized that was roughly where the crown of thorns sat on Jesus head when he slumped to his death. I often heard the cross used as an analogy for where the temporal or horizontal…

Above: Ruben Moreno (Center), in Panama City, Panama prepares to execute trade agreements with two US companies. Steven Adams (Right), President & CEO of ICC Global Trade, LLC and Bob Horning (Left), President of Way Tea. I'm just so blessed today to write a short excerpt from a recent experience I had in Panama City, Panama. ICC Global Trade, LLC and it's brand of specialty foods, Intercourse Canning Company, are two organizations I've been fortunate…

I sat down recently to read three different devotional books that I’ve been dipping in and out of for a couple years now.  Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, Knowing the Heart of God by John Eldredge, and Every Day in His Presence by Charles Stanley. I highly recommend all of them if you haven’t sampled the brilliance in each. Uncanny what happened next. As I turned to each entry on that date the parallels for me personally were breathtaking. I knew in that…