“The LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s home, and go to a land that I am going to show you” (Genesis 12:1, GNT).

     In 2000, a newly appointed bishop toured the annual conference to meet a sampling of pastors and key lay leaders. The bishop stopped by the church I was serving at the time for lunch. The bishop remarked that he and my mother had met one another at a prayer conference years before. Midway through the meal, my wife, Cathy, stopped by to join the conversation. The bishop turned to me and asked, “Wasn’t your mother’s name Kathy?” I replied, “I decided to marry a woman whose name I wouldn’t forget.” The bishop replied, “It sounds to me more like you’re in a rut.”

 “However, the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you” (Deuteronomy 23:5, NIV).

     I spent a good deal of time in Berlin during my military service. Berlin was once the capital of Nazi Germany. During the regime’s final days, more than 300 sorties were conducted on the great city by the Americans and British. Half of the homes were damaged. One-third of the city was rendered unlivable. Sixteen square kilometers were reduced to rubble.

     Happy “Cow Hug Day”! That is if you are a citizen of India. Cows traditionally are considered sacred by Hindus. The Animal Welfare Board declared February 14 as Cow Hug Day because the bovine is known as the “backbone of Indian culture and rural economy.”

There will be no Daily Devotions this week (Feb. 6 – 10). Devotions will resume on Monday, Feb. 13.

I pray you will reread a few of your favorite devotions to see how the Holy Spirit is speaking to you right now.

Pastor David

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:2, BSB).

     Imitation is the highest form of flattery, as the saying goes. Just ask Punxsutawney Phil. The infamous Pennsylvania rodent no longer can lay claim as the only four-legged weather forecaster.

     Enter Bee Cave Bob. Bee Cave Bob is an armadillo that has predicted the seasons in Texas for the past twelve years. By the way, why did the chicken cross the road? To prove to the armadillo it could be done.

“Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly”.  (Proverbs 14:29, ESV)

     Slowpoke. It’s the name my mother assigned me when I dawdled. When Mom called your name, she expected a swift response.

     In 2021, the South Carolina senate passed the “Slowpoke Bill.” The law requires drivers in the left-hand land to yield when another vehicle moves in behind them. A new bill presently is pending that will increase the fines for violators up to $100. So much for the idea that life moves more slowly in the South.