Pastor’s Blog

Daily Devotion July 7, 2023

“ Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt…” (Leviticus 19:34, CEB).

     In 1984, I traveled to the former Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. I was familiar with the atrocities that were committed at this locale through history books. Yet, nothing I had learned intellectually prepared me for the emotions I experienced as I walked past a monument that read in Yiddish, “Never Again.”

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Daily Devotion July 6, 2023

 “The LORD is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children to the third and the fourth generation” (Numbers 14:18, NRSV).

     In 1877, a researcher by the name of Richard Dugdale performed a study on the ancestries of Jonathan Edwards and Max Jukes. Jonathan Edwards was the renowned Reformed minister who helped shaped the theological and political landscape of America during his early years. Max Jukes lived at about the same time as Edwards and was infamous for his lewd behavior and drinking. While Edwards helped Christianity prosper in this country, Jukes despised Christianity. The contrast of these two men’s lives is witnessed even more profoundly in the lives of their ancestors.

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Daily Devotion July 5, 2023

“ Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice…Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:4,6 NLT).

            In every life, we have some trouble.
            But when you worry you make it double.
            Don’t worry, be happy!

     These are the words of Bobby McFerrin’s 1988 classic that reached number one on the Billboard Top 100 chart. McFerrin’s song became popular worldwide, particularly in Finland. This news should come as no surprise. The Finnish people are widely recognized as being the happiest people on earth.

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Daily Devotion June 30, 2023

We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
(2 Corinthians 4:7-12, ESV)

     An ancient fable tells the story about two clay pots. Early each morning, an old farmer would carry the two pots down to the river to retrieve water. However, one of the pots had several fissures around its frame. By the time the farmer returned home, the cracked pot had lost all its water.

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Daily Devotion June 29, 2023

“My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me.” (John 10:27, CEB)

     Orcas have been in the news of late. News outlets report that several boats have been rammed by pods of orcas near the Iberian Peninsula. Three boats have been sunk as a result of the orca uprising.

     Scientists believe the marine mammals are following the lead of an orca named White Gladis. Some speculate that Gladis initiated this new behavior because she was protecting her newborn calf. Others think she is just having fun. Whatever the reason, White Gladis has established a trend as other orcas jump onto the bandwagon.

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Daily Devotion June 28, 2023

 “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.” (Matthew 5:41, NIV)

     The world-renowned gymnastics coach, Liang Chow, claims that “A champion isn’t made of muscle; a champion is made of heart.”

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