Recently I read David’s words in 2 Samuel 22:20: “He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” I began to wonder about what David meant by a spacious place.  Was he speaking only about a specific physical location or was he thinking about a spiritual experience with Read more

I never thought I would use this painting in a devotional, but I guess God had a different idea. A few months ago, my dentist stepson asked me to paint something for the reception area in his office.  He wanted the painting to include teeth and smiles as well as communicate his Christian faith. Initially, Read more

Life is full of choices. As a new year begins most of us think a bit about the choices we will make in the new year. This week I made the choice to unplug and store our Christmas lights.  I love the glow of Christmas lights especially during Christmas Eve services as we symbolically share Read more

I was thinking of Philippians 2:6-8 as I worked on this painting.  In these poetic verses Paul focuses on two aspects of Christ’s purpose and mission on earth – humility and obedience. “Who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made Read more

I have often wondered why the Apostle Paul did not include gratitude as one of the components of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  In his letters Paul was obviously a big proponent of giving thanks.  He begins most of his letters by telling his readers how grateful he was for them and consistently Read more

Are you choosy?  I am pretty choosy when I select my produce at the grocery store.  I want to be sure that my vegetables and fruit are the best quality available.  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines choosy as “fastidiously selective.” Many of us are fastidiously selective in at least some aspects of our life, but are Read more

My husband and I recently vacationed in Europe where we had the opportunity to visit several medieval cathedrals. As we toured these magnificent buildings, we gained some insight into how these buildings were designed for worship but also for teaching the ordinary people (mostly illiterate) about Christ and how to live as his disciple. In Read more

Sometimes I have trouble keeping my focus on God during my quiet time. My restless mind likes to wander all over the place. To combat this problem, I often repeat the phrase, “more of you and less of me” as I try to pray and listen to what God wants me to hear.  While that Read more

Recently a friend shared a brief devotional on prayer based on Matthew 6:5-6: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, Read more

Throughout the Bible God uses images of shepherds and sheep to communicate important truths to us. Through these simple images he reveals profound insights into his divine character but also into who we are as his beloved children. The Old Testament contains many references to God as our shepherd. “The Lord is my shepherd, I Read more