13 Mar 2026
It is not easy having the patience of Joseph while facing rejection and going through challenges. It is the grace of God that sustains one in such circumstances. He held on to the dream God had shown Him, but He didn’t have details of what would happen. May the Lord show us what He wants to do in our lives. May we be patient and depend on Him as we wait for the fulfillment of His promise. May His promises come to pass and may we remain faithful for our calling in Him. Genesis 37:5-11; 50:22-25.
The Prayer of an Angel
Would you come to the party and let him pray with you? My friend, Bill, told me that for centuries, Down’s Syndrome children were considered angels in many Scandinavian cultures. He understands. His son William is one such angel. Because of these angels, and others like them, we began Jesus Parties several years ago as part of our church life. A Jesus Party is simply a party for people that we believe Jesus would invite to a party today. Our Jesus parties are for mentally and physically challenged adults in the Abilene, Texas area. They’re mostly a time for these folks to visit, dance, have refreshments, and visit with friends. We have at least four per year. They are great fun. After a recent Jesus party, Donna and I were quite tired and decided we would stop by a coffee shop for a little quiet conversation with each other. We were out of our house for a week while some work was being done on the floors and were living with my folks. We just needed a little quiet time together just to visit. As we came into the coffee shop, a young Down’s Syndrome man came up to us and started visiting. I had met him before. His name is Eddie – not his real name, of course, but we’ll use it for the article. Eddie came up with a big smile on his face and reached out his hand to shake mine. “HI!” Eddie excitedly shouted. “How you doin’?” I asked Eddie, trying to remember his name and where I had met him before. Had it been another of the Jesus’ parties or somewhere else? “You’re the preacher!” Eddie said. “Church. Church. Southern Hills.” “Yes, I’m the preacher at Southern Hills Church,” I replied. Then I introduced Eddie to my wife. “Sign my book!” Eddie said, and shoved a little notebook with names and phone numbers in Donna’s face. She signed her name and mine. “Church. Church. I’m seeing you at church tomorrow.” Eddie continued. “Can I pray?” He asked. “Sure, during the Garden of Prayer, just come down to the front and we will pray together,” I answered. “No. Up front! Up front!” He insisted. I wasn’t sure if he would be there or which service he would be there and I sure wasn’t sure about turning him loose to pray in front of a big group of people on Sunday. But that was tomorrow morning and I didn’t need to worry about it because I wasn’t even sure he would make it. Donna, Eddie, and I visited for about forty-five minutes and then we left to go to my folks, offering Eddie a ride home. “Nope. Don’t need it.” Eddie said. We hugged each other goodbye and we headed to my folks place. Donna and I had gone into the coffee shop to have some alone time – to rest and relax from a busy week and a night filled with ministry. “We were visited by an angel tonight,” Donna said as we drove away. “Yeah, this has been a night with angels,” I replied. We were tired and sweaty and full of joy. Oh, and as our second service came to a close the next morning, Eddie joined me on the podium and prayed. I was a bit nervous, not sure how long he would pray. I didn’t want it to seem contrived or manipulative. But, we had just been talking about how fun the Jesus Party had been and Eddie walked to the front to pray. It was short, sweet, and a taste of heaven. We were sent home from church with the prayer of an angel. Over the years, I’ve gotten some ugly and snide cards from church folks who have visited our congregation and didn’t like this or that – don’t get me wrong, the vast majority are nice notes, but I have a tendency to remember the ugly ones. The one that hurt worst was one that said, “Jesus Party. How sacrilegious!” It didn’t hurt my feelings, but hurt me for the person who wrote it – how sad to think that they had missed Jesus completely, just like many of the religious folks in Jesus’ day missed him. How do we help our churches become more a place of joy for folks like Eddie and his family than a place of overly-critical complainers who rarely crack a smile? I’d love to hear your take on this on my blog! Let me know what you think! I’ll leave you with these words of Jesus:“How shall I describe this generation?” Jesus asked. “With what will I compare them? They are like a group of children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends, ‘We played wedding songs, and you weren’t happy, so we played funeral songs, but you weren’t sad.’ For John the Baptist didn’t drink wine and he often fasted, and you say, ‘He’s demon possessed.’ And I, the Son of Man, feast and drink, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of the worst sort of sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.” (Luke 7:31-35 NLT) About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.
One Mule?
Are you as smart as a mule? Across the street from my office in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, nearly fifty years ago, there was a gas station, they did not call them “service stations” back then. It was run by an old German. He was one of the most efficient men I have ever known, but some days even he would get behind. You could tell that it really bothered him. He was not used to leaving anything undone at the close of the day. One day, when things were particularly out of order, I stopped in to get gas and to my surprise he called from the little shop attached to the station, “You vill haft to pump it you self!” (This was in the day when self-service was unheard of.) After I had finished pumping my gas I walked back to where Herman was and found him hanging half in and half out of the engine compartment of an old auto. He spoke apologetically, “This old car and me are juust alike, vorn out, but don’t know ven to qvit.” Then with the wisdom of more than eighty years of hard labor he said, “Do you know how much verk vone mule can do?” “No,” I confessed, “How much work can one mule do?” “All he can do,” he smiled, “Juust all he can do, no more.” Some days we all need to hear Herman again. We begin to think that we must do more than is possible and then feel guilty that we have not finished everything that seemed to be set before us. Just once in a while we may need to just shout from the work shop, “You vill haft to pump it you self!” After all we should at least be as smart as a mule! About the author: Bill is a long time minister in Nacogdoches, Texas who loves world missions. His passion for ministry has led him all over the world. In addition to his work as a minister, he is also a licensed professional counselor. Bill’s family is also involved in ministry and service to the world and community.
Today’s Verse – 2 Peter 1:4
He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. —2 Peter 1:4 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God made us to be like him in character and compassion. We are called to participate in the divine nature and are assured that we will be made ready to become like him when Jesus comes, and we see him as he is (1 John 3:1-2). Everything in our world is subject to corruption and decay. Even though our bodies are destined to decay, the living part of us will not because we are united with Jesus and awaiting the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18-23; Colossians 3:1-4). Our response to these “very great and precious promises” is to follow Jesus as our Savior and LORD, wholeheartedly. My Prayer… Almighty God, my Everlasting Fortress, thank you for giving me your great and precious promises. I long to know you more fully, and to see your face one day in glory. Please protect me and my heart from corruption as I wait in eager expectation of that day. In all love and appreciation, I pray this in the name of Jesus, the One who made me yours. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
What They See Is What You Really Love
What do you really love? I had been down with a really bad cold for a couple of days and our grandson came for a visit. I stayed in bed most of the time he was there and tried to stay away from him so as not to pass it on to him. Inevitably though, he would sneak into the bedroom when no one was watching and check up on his playmate (grandpa). Once he came in and put his hand on my forehead and said, “Grandpa, I think you have a temperature.” Several times during his stay he would just come in and pat me or hug my leg and leave, not saying anything because he was told not to disturb me. Now, of course, we think he is a special little guy; but you have to reflect on how he learned to show his concern in those ways. Of course he learned it through the example of his parents and other caring adults that surround him. The scripture speaks of bringing up our children in the way they should go and we tend to think of pointing that to the technical obedience to God’s laws. But, doesn’t it apply just as well to the social skills needed in life? Those things that might be termed the “one to another” side of our life – you know what that is, don’t you? It’s the everyday living with other people you touch in your life. One of the problems we see in the world around us is that far too many people try to separate “everyday life” from “Sunday life.” They want to separate their relationship with God from their relationship to others. Many folks have the whole relationship thing backwards. They think if they look real good “going to church” that will impress other people and they will want to go with them. Jesus said, “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16 NLT) If you want to show someone how much you love God, then first show them how much you love people. Sometimes all it takes is a pat on the back, maybe a little hug or a few kind words to show that you care for someone else. If I were going to make a real loose modern translation of Matthew 5:16, it would be something like this: “Be careful what you do around other people, because what they see tells them what you really love and how important God really is to you!” I have no doubts at all how much our grandson loves me! Not because he is continuously proclaiming “I love you,” but because he shows his love by his concern for me in his actions everyday. Stop and think about your life and ask yourself, “If I were someone else looking at me, what would I think I loved the most?” If God doesn’t show through, then just perhaps something is lacking in that one relationship that really matters. Could it be that you fall into the “Sunday only” relationship to God? About the author: Russ Lawson is a former missionary to Africa and minister in Ohio. He now works with World Christian Literature Outreach and writes a weekly email devotional, Messages from the Heart. For more information about Russ, click here.
The Art of Kindergarten Identity
How special are you and why? One of the best things about kindergarten is the artwork. I love our daughter’s teacher this year. Every Monday she gives the students a blank sheet of paper to write what they did over the weekend and draw a picture. I treasure these and have kept each one. Last week, my daughter brought home one of these sheets with the header, “I am special because …” The kids each wrote why they are special and then drew a picture. I imagine her friend Lola just might have written something about her beauty queen trophies. Many probably wrote words about playing baseball, being a good singer, dancer or whatever else might pop into a 5-year-old’s mind. My daughter’s paper says, “I am special because … I AM MYSelf” (Caps hers). There is a picture of a sweet little girl with pink hair, pink lips, a pink triangle for a dress, and of course, pink pumps. I am very thankful that she knows she is special just being herself! I wonder what happens along the way that causes us to lose the carefree security of childhood. How many of us as adults would answer that we are valued “just because I’m me”? As parents, we treasure our children for the simple fact that they were born and placed into our lives through love. There is nothing they can do to make us care for them any more or any less – we just love them because they’re them! But in the “real world” of adults, things are different. We are a performance-based society. You’re either in or you’re out. You may be here today and gone tomorrow if your company stock prices drop, your team loses one too many games, or Simon Cowell just doesn’t like the way your hair looks today. We tend to value who we are based on what we do – and by how successful we are or we are not. Most of the time when we meet new people, one of the first things we ask each other is, “What do you do?” It is natural to ask these questions. Conversing about our careers can offer opportunities to find common ground. It is important, however, to distinguish what we do – and how successfully we do it – from who we are. We are God’s children with whom He desires to have an intimate relationship. He loves us just because we are His. Actually, He is crazy about us! He would have to be to give up His beloved Jesus to literally go through hell just so we can be together with Him in glory. Taking this a step further, I wonder what we tend to value about God. Do we love Him because of what He does for us or do we love Him just because of who He is? The difference is subtle, but also huge. God does so much for us. Salvation through Jesus is an unfathomable gift. And the list goes on of the blessings God pours over us. It is easy to love God the way we might have loved Santa Claus as a kid – to see Him as a larger-than-life, but rather distant figure that we can almost reach out and touch, but never really grasp. After all, there is something inside each of us that tells us we must do something to pay for all these lavish gifts. And deep down, we know we have nothing to offer that can even come close. Can it really be true that all He asks of us is our hearts? Does He really just want us to love Him because He’s Him? As we grow into deeper relationship with our Father and let Him steal our hearts, we begin to simply rest in who He is. And that is where we find our true identity. We abide in Him as He abides in us. And we come to realize that “I am special because … I’m with Him!” Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31 NLT). About the author: Amy Grant lives with her family in Lebanon, TN, where she serves with the College Hills Church of Christ. She is amazed by grace, and she hopes to extend the same kind of grace to others that has been lavished on her. Amy enjoys writing about this grace in her blog, Growing Closer.
Today’s Verse – Deuteronomy 7:9
The Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. —Deuteronomy 7:9 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God is faithful to his promises and his people. He fulfilled every promise with a great “Amen!” in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:18-20). His covenant is far more than a set of agreements between a god and his people. God’s covenant with us is a covenant of love. He will not forsake us or abandon us (Hebrews 13:5-6; Romans 8:32-39). He will treat us better than we deserve, just as a loving parent treats a rebellious child better than she or he deserves. We must tune our hearts to beat in honor of God as our God. We must not treat him as a good luck charm, a bellhop to bring us our every wish, or our weekly guest we occasionally invite to visit in the margins of our otherwise busy lives. What we do must be done with an awareness and intention that what we have done has been done before him, to honor him! As we do these things, God is faithful. He will uphold his covenant to love us, forgive us, restore us, and empower us until he brings us home to be with him. My Prayer… Faithful God, thank you for loving me so sacrificially and steadfastly. Thank you for keeping your promises to the Israelites and for bringing Jesus just as you promised. I trust your promise to send him back to bring me home to you. Until then, please receive the deeds and words of this day as my thanks to you for your covenant of love with me and those who love Jesus. In the name of Jesus, your gift of love, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
11 Mar 2026
One of the things that has lead to many divisions in the body of Christ is the personal interpretation of the bible. This can be influenced by culture, ignorance, selfish motives, etc. Many stand under the banner of Christianity but practise things that go against what God wants. Conviction is a powerful force, but based on wrong understanding, it can destroy life. Acts 14:8-28.
10 Mar 2026
There are also instances where the Lord disciplines us in order to remind us who we are and whom we belong to. It is uncomfortable and not something one would want to experience often. But it is to correct us and prevent us from falling further away from Him. May we heed the correction and turn back to Him. Hebrews 12:4-13.
The Old Home Place
Can we ever really go home again? Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,Who never to himself hath said,“This is my own, my native land!” Whose heart hath ne’er within him burn’d,As home his footsteps he hath turn’d,From wandering on a foreign strand!Sir Walter Scott May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. (Psalm 137:6) My great grandfather Per Erik Anderson came from Sweden in the 1870s. My great, great grandfather, a Swedish “land-owner,” disinherited Per Erik because Per would not give up his romance with a “peasant girl,” the milkmaid, Carolina. So Per Erik found himself land-less and homeless in Sweden. And when he heard rumors of free land in America, he headed alone across a wide ocean – looking for a new homeland – eventually bringing his Carolina and their two young children to Wisconsin. One of these children was my Grandpa Eric, just five years old when he left Sweden. HOMESTEADERS By the time he was grown, my Grandpa Erik, also infected with “wander lust,” began dreaming of his own land. In 1913 after my grandmother, Anna, had died of the flu soon after the birth of her fifth child, Grandpa Eric took his young family and migrated northwest to Saskatchewan, Canada, to look for land of his own. My father was just a lad of eight that year – when my Grandfather began his homestead on the virgin Canadian prairies. Moving. Searching. Longing. In time, both Grandpa Eric and Dad called it “the home place.” Later I would too. When my Mom and Dad married, they began their life together on the land homesteaded by my paternal grandfather, Eric. CHILDHOOD HOME During my childhood years, I felt that land would be my home forever. I roamed that homestead; explored every square yard of it. Every “coulee” and every hill. Knew which Choke Cherry bushes yielded the sweetest fruit. The draw where the most colorful crocuses exploded from the soil each spring. I could take you to the exact wrinkle in the prairie hillside which hid the coyote pup-birthing den. And the best spots to snare jack rabbits. And the brush patch where hawks nested year after year. Often, I would stand on “the big hill” a mile southwest of our house looking over “our land.” Dark winter evenings, I followed Dad to the barn, carrying the lantern as the hard cold snow crunched under our feet. Dad would point to the glistening crystals at the edges of that pool of lantern glow and say, “Look – we are rich. God has covered our land with diamonds.” LEAVING Although my Father tended his land for more than thirty years, in retrospect I wonder if he ever felt completely at home there. Dad loved that land all right, but it was not a permanent dwelling place to him. He held it lightly and for only a short few decades, then left that land, and moved on to different things. I also left that land – way too young. When I was fourteen years of age, since there was no high school near our homestead place, the folks sent me away to a boarding school. I have never really lived “at home” since then. The day I left, Dad drove me and my scuffed old cardboard suitcase twelve dirt road miles to the little village of McCord to catch the east bound morning train. He set the case on the platform then stood quietly and looked at me a long time. He shook my hand. Then cleared his throat. Then he squeezed my shoulders with a hug. Then shook my hand again. He kept repeating this and blinking back tears, his twitching lips unable to form words. Finally, Dad spoke huskily and abruptly, “Be strong son. And… and remember who you are.” Then turned on his heel and strode resolutely to the car. As the train pulled out of the station, Dad stood by the old Pontiac watching me leave his life. While that old coach rattled down the tracks, I tried to weep out the big lump in my throat. Somehow I knew that I would never live at home again. Oh yes, I returned briefly during a few summers and blew through for short visits. But, I’ve never really “gone back home.” LONGING By the time Mom and Dad died, the “old home-place” had long since passed into the “possession” of others, some of whom are strangers to me. Sometimes, in my nostalgic “home longings,” I wish I could bring back a few more childhood years with Mom and Dad. And I often wish I had “our” land back in my “possession.” Across the years, at times when bittersweet memories flicker in my soul, I go back to re-walk those hills and try to recapture some “at home” feelings. But, I know that place is no longer my home. Hasn’t been in fifty years. In some ways, I think it never really was. Joe Diffie sang my feelings for me, The only thing I see ahead is just the heat a risin’ on the road,The rainbows I’ve been chasin’ keep on fading, before I find my pot of gold.And more and more I’m thinking, that the only treasures that I’ll ever know,Are long ago and far behind wrapped up in my memories of home. Home was a swimming hole, and a fishing pole,And the feel of a muddy road between my toes.Home was a back porch swingWhere I would sit and mama’d singAmazing Grace, while she hung out the clothesHome is an easy chair,With my daddy thereAnd the smell of Sunday supper on the stove.My footsteps carry me away,But in my mind I’m always going home.[1] Guess it runs in the family. Now my youngest son tells me, “I feel homeless.” But then ‘Longing for place’ is as at least as old as the Psalms. Listen to the