Devotions (Page 17)
Slow but Steady
I came across a podcast episode a few months ago titled “If you want to Succeed, Slow Down”. The theme of this was consistency, not just in not slacking off, but also in not overdoing things. It’s easy to go all out when starting/learning something new in the hopes of getting results fast, but it will quickly backfire when you can’t keep up with doing as much as possible every day to achieve your goal. It’s easier to stick to…
The True Vine Continued…
A while back I mentioned that I’ve been studying and reading/listening to all of the books and sermons and information I can find about The True Vine and The Branches. Beth Moore’s Chasing Vines was a serious game-changer for me. I’d like to share one of the biggest ah-ha moments with you! As many of you might remember, Jesus tells his disciples in John 15 that he is the True Vine, his Father is the Vinedresser and that they (along…
Over & Over Again
What an amazing Family Weekend we had with guest speaker and now friend, Brett Ullman. A gifted teacher, he brought about thought provoking, practical, and wise ideas and techniques. I love that we as a church family get to have his teaching. We have had much training in spiritual inner healing, but rarely have we had speakers challenge us in our day to day lives on how to experience freedom in the physical as well. Spiritual inner healing is necessary…
Family Weekend
Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I’m there with them.” This past Monday we wrapped up another annual Family Weekend after having not met since 2019. I, for one, had an amazing time. In fact, it’s now the middle of the week, and I still haven’t recovered fully! If you were able to join us in person or online, I hope you enjoyed yourself and learned some valuable things. If you weren’t able to join us…
Hands On, Hands Near, Hands Off
As I think about all the tidbits of knowledge and wisdom that have been shared this past Family Weekend, I wonder how I can apply these things to my life today. There were many things that were caught this weekend but for the sake of time and space I will share one that stuck out to me. In the first Parenting Session, Brett talked about the progression of Parenting being: Hands on, Hands near and Hands off. It is a…
Fulfilling Your Calling
I’ve been thinking about fulfilling your calling for some time, and I’ve been seeing a lot of it in the life of David, who has one of the most drawn out examples of fulfilling calling in the Bible. David was called (well, anointed) to be king, but he doesn’t seem to fulfill his calling for a long time. David probably though he would be a shepherd his whole life until Samuel anointed him (1 Samuel 16), and right after that,…
Look Daddy, I DRAW you
I am a firm believer that in life and in work and in all that we do, it demands excellence. I preach it to my staff on the pastoral team, I teach this to my staff at BeaverTails. I tell the pastoral team that if we do not do devotions, pray for our people, do our memory verses – what chance do the people we are meant to Shephard have? I tell my BeaverTails staff that before you serve our…
The True Vine
I am the vine; you are the branches.If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers;such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish,and it will be done for you.This is to my Father’s glory, that you…
A Song of Ascent
Dear LifeSpring Family, I have been reading, thinking, memorizing and meditating on Psalm 121: A Song of Ascents.I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your…
Change You can See
Hebrews 6:1: So let’s press on to maturity, by moving on from the basics about Christ’s word. Last week, I was watching a show that had a classic legal scene that some of you may be familiar with. There was a person who had served some time in jail, and now they were at their parole hearing. They sat in front of a group of people who had the power to get them out of jail, or send them back…
Change and Growth
I used to hate change. However, over the last 10 months, I’ve gotten more reconciled to it, as starting my internship involved a myriad of changes happening to me. I become the youngest in the room, got put into a variety of leadership positions, and started writing devotions, to name a few of them. Change shakes up our comfort zone and reveals areas that we need to grow in. If we have no change, we become comfortable and can become…
Identity
At our Wildfire Youth Retreat this past weekend, we taught on discovering your Spiritual Gifts, Core Values and Identity. It was a time where we could all come together and seek God for what He wants to say to us. As I was teaching about Identity, I felt like this lesson was not just for the Youth but a lesson for us all. In the world that we live in, our identity, if not found in Christ, can be easily…