Category: Devotionals

Waiting in the White Space

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It’s the first real Monday of 2020. The holidays are over. Routine is back. To me, January feels like starting a brand-new journal. Every page is white, ready for new words. The possibilities of what those words will say – of what adventure they describe – are endless. And that makes me excited!

My temptation is to quickly fill in that white space with my hopes and plans, creating a strategy for the year that will make God proud. But this year, I read something that has made me pause, and stare at that white space a little longer before I break the silence with my words.

In John 13:31-38, Jesus in a way, gives His disciples a piece of blank paper and then walks away, leaving them to figure out what to do next. Dishes from The Last Supper have just been cleared, and Judas has just left the room after Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”

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How to Climb the Sand Dunes of Life

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“Whatever you do, don’t hike the dunes,” my friend said to Adam and me as we discussed our plans for exploring the Great Lakes state of Michigan.

He knew he needed to warn us because he saw that glimmer in my eye as he told us about the park. Running up sand dunes sounded like fun!

The next day Adam and I drove to the highly recommended Sleeping Bear Dunes, paid our entry fee and parked the car under the warm afternoon sun. Even though it was 3:00, the temperature topped out below 80 degrees, something that barely happens at night in Texas. We were in Heaven!

Miles and miles of sand spread out in front of us on every side. It looked like we pulled onto the scene of Aladdin in the Arabian Desert. We looked at the park map and thought of our friend’s warning to not hike the dunes up to Lake Michigan. We tried to find a trail to hike minus the sand, but it wasn’t happening.

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Friday Morning Devotionals: Heavy Change

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friday devotional

A few weeks before Christmas, Caleb lugged a one-gallon glass jar full of the year’s spare coins into the bank. As he walked carefully across the cold, tile floor, his lips pressed together as his arms strained to carry the weight. The clopping of his footsteps echoed throughout the quiet air of the bank. His gaze – straight ahead at the center counter where he could finally set down his load.

As he lifted the jug to set it on the counter, the corner of the platform kissed the edge of the jar. All he was left holding was the handle and 2” of the top. The rest shattered into a thousand shards of glass and the change spilled along beside it.

I thought about this episode this morning when I put some cash in my wallet. As I placed the wallet back in my purse, my shoulder immediately sagged.

What is making this so heavy? I wondered.

Ah, it’s all that change, I realized.

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