Loving Strangers: January 1st Devotional

 

Loving Strangers

Hebrews 13:1-2

January 1st Devotional

      On this day in 1892, Ellis Island opened its door to welcome immigrants.  This island located in the New York Upper Bay was named after Samuel Ellis.  Ellis purchased the island in 1774 but it didn’t turn into a financial success.  The island would be passed down from family member to family member.  Later it would be used as a place to try and execute pirates and as a home for Fort Gibson.  The federal government used transformed this plot of land to become an “Island of hope” or a Gateway for newly arrived immigrants.  On that first day, there were three large ships in the bay.  Ships filled with weary travelers from Europe who were seeking security, safety, and new opportunities.  The first to be processed was Annie Moore and her two younger brothers.  They were from Ireland and were all minors.  Most of those seeking entrance into the United States came from Europe.  The situation in Europe was dire at that time.  Food was scarce, governmental tensions were high, and many, namely Jews, were seeking asylum in a place that would provide them religious freedom.  700 total immigrants came through Ellis Island that first day.  The weary travelers had already endured an arduous journey but would have to wait in line for typically 3-7 hours as they were questioned by immigration officials and examined by doctors.  Over 450,000 people poured through those gates of hope that first year.  There were nearly 1900 immigrants a day during the time prior and during World War I.  Over 12 million people were processed in the fifty years of Ellis Island’s existence.  The history channel reports that an estimated 40% of Americans can trace at least one ancestor that gained entrance into the United States through Ellis Island.  

      Also greeting immigrants was the Statue of Liberty, or as many simply called her, “Lady Liberty” or “The Lady.”  The Statue of Liberty has these words inscribed on it “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.  Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”  America has been built on helping the helpless and providing opportunity and hospitality to strangers.  As Christians, we are to treat others in a similar fashion.  We are to love the tired, the poor, the rejected, the homeless, and the outcast.  God has not called us to simply love and care for the household of faith, but instead to show kindness and grace to those who desperately need the love of God showered on their lives.  The writer of Hebrews wrote “Let love of the brothers and sisters continue. Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:1-2).”  The Greek word for hospitality is used sparingly in the New Testament (four times).  On one occasion the word talks about a lover of hospitality.  Each time the word isn’t used as an action, but instead as an adjective, a description of someone.  It isn’t so much something we are supposed to do, but WHO we are.  We don’t show hospitality, we ARE hospitable.  Each of us starts out the new year with certain resolutions and goals, but this year be spiritually resolved to show hospitality to the lost, to the hurting, to the broken, and maybe even the neighbor who you don’t know yet.  Be intentional to open the doors of your home and your heart to those that are far from Christ.

The Mordor Mission: December 25th Devotional (Christmas Special)

The Mordor Mission

December 25th Devotional

John 1:1-4

     On this day in the year 3018, the fellowship departs from the Elven safehold, Rivendell.  Their goal is to march to Mordor to destroy the ring of power.  The ring bearer was one of the most unlikely characters in all of literature, a simple hobbit named Frodo Baggins.  Hobbits were small, simple folk.  They lived far away from the cares of the world.  They enjoyed farming, ale, and green pastures.  There wasn’t much adventure in the Shire, except for the occasional run-in with a dragon with some rag-tag dwarves, and an eccentric old wizard.  Frodo inherited the ring from his uncle, Bilbo Baggins who stole the ‘precious’ from Gollum while hiding in the murky waters from goblins.  Bilbo disappeared seventeen years earlier, entrusting the ring to Frodo.  Frodo departed from the shire once it was confirmed that he was in possession of Sauron’s desired missing possession.  Frodo leaves the shire in September and he could have never envisioned the great adventure and danger that lay before him.  In the next few weeks, he and his companions would be nearly captured by Nazgul, raced through the Old Forest, visited Tom Bombadil (the mightiest character in Middle Earth), guarded by Aragorn the promised King in Bree, wounded by the Witch-King on Weathertop, and barely made it across the Ford of Bruinen alive.  Frodo, along with the other Hobbits stay at the safety of Rivendell for three months while other leaders of Middle Earth convene to discuss the great peril of their time, the ring.  The assembly debates over what the best course of action should be taken with the ring.  The debate turns to an argument as dwarves, men, and elves cannot come to an agreement.  Hope seemed to dim, dread encompassed each heart, that is until a tiny voice of a Hobbit declares, “I will take the Ring, though I do not know the way.”  The smallest, weakest, and the frailest member does the bravest and most courageous of things.  He puts himself in harm’s way to save Middle Earth.  

      Frodo and the fellowship trade security for peril, all for the mission of destroying the ring.  In a much grander scale, Jesus does the same thing for us.  He also leaves the safety of heaven to come to this world.  John 1:1 says that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  The picture is that Jesus, who is the Word in the passage, leaves glory to come down to earth.  He comes in the most unlikely fashion too.  He doesn’t come in power and authority, instead, He comes enfleshed as a tiny baby.  He comes weak, frail, and needy.  He seems to be the most unlikely hero and rescuer ever!  Few would have thought that the swaddled baby in a manger on the backside of Bethlehem would be the promised one of God.  Why did Jesus come though?  The answer is similar to Frodo’s, Frodo volunteered to destroy the ring of power.  Jesus came not to destroy the ring of power, but He came to destroy that which has power over us, sin.  Sin had far too long laid its chains on humanity.  For far too long its long dark shadow destroyed mankind.  Christ came to break those chains, to defeat sin, and to render it powerless.  Not only did Christ come to destroy our sin, but He also came to destroy Satan and death.  Hebrews 2:14 says “and through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil.”  Christ sacrificially and lovingly gave Himself to a sinner’s death, though perfect, to ransom our lost souls.  Think not only of a manger this Christmas but a cross.  Think not only of His birth but also His death.  Think not of the song of angels to shepherds, but the songs of the saints who worship Him who conquered death!

A Grinchy Christmas: December 18th Devotional

 

A Grinchy Christmas

Matthew 1:21

December 18th Devotional

      On this day in 1966, CBS aired “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” for the first time.  This 26-minute tv special was based off Dr. Seuss’ novel by the same name written in 1957.  The show was famously voiced by the master of the horror genre himself, Boris Karloff (he was the narrator and the voice of the Grinch).  The antagonist of the story is the Grinch.  The Grinch is a grouchy, fuzzy creature who lives in the cold snowy mountain overlooking the city of Whoville.  The Grinch’s heart is filled with hatred, probably because his heart was two times too small.  His lone companion was his trusty brown dog named Max.  The Grinch’s primary hatred was the town that rested in the valley, the town of Whoville.  The people of Whoville were friendly and happy people.  Their joy grew as the Christmas season approached.  For fifty-three years the Grinch had to endure their songs, shopping, celebration, and noise.  It drove him to madness.  One day he concocted a devious plan, he was going to steal Christmas!  He made a shabby Santa costume, outfitted poor Max as a reindeer, and drove a sleigh down from his mountain bluff to the happy valley below.  The night hour had overtaken the down and everyone was nestled down for a long winter’s nap.  That’s when he sprung into action.  The Grinch entered each house stealing all the Christmas contents.  His vile, garlic-filled soul stole presents, lights, trees, decorations, and even the food (I personally would like a taste of who Roast Beast myself).  He left no crumb behind.  He was going to make the people of Whoville pay for their jovial attitude.  He went about his work unmolested until he had a brief encounter with Cindy Lou Who, but not even she could deter him from his monstrous plot.  Having finished the job, he returned to his mountain retreat waiting to hear the tears and sorrows of the people below…but instead, his empty heart heard something quite unexpected.  He heard the people singing.  They were singing without lights, without trees, without presents!  He was stunned!  His mission had failed.  But this fuzzy green villain pondered, “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store.  Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more.”  His heart grew three times as he repented from his villainy and converted to become a lover of the Christmas season.  He entered the down joyfully returning all that he had stolen!  

      Seuss’ inspiration for writing the short 33-line poem was to combat the commercialization of Christmas.  He felt that Christmas had become something different and according to him, it made him feel Grinchy.  He finished the book in a mere three weeks.  He later said it was the easiest book he had ever written, except for the conclusion.  The Grinch reminds us as Christians of an extremely important principle, to not lose the true meaning of Christmas.  That’s pretty easily said and read, but it’s awfully difficult to practice.  We live in a consumer-driven culture that demands we put our full attention on Christmas.  No one is really trying to cancel Christmas because Christmas is good for business portfolios.  Most businesses make 60% of their yearly profit in the weeks around Christmas.  The problem isn’t getting rid of Christmas per se, it’s losing sight of what it means.  In Matthew chapter one Joseph of Nazareth attempts to sleep.  He had received some extremely disturbing news; his espoused wife Mary was pregnant, and the child wasn’t his.  Joseph was a good man, he was willing to privately ‘divorce’ Mary so as not to shame her.  That night he went to bed with a hurting, confused, and a broken heart.  I imagine he struggled to sleep, but in the night hour, an angelic visitor came to him saying that Mary was pregnant with the Son of God.  Then, in the midst of this message the angel said “she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).”  The message of Christmas is about Jesus Christ.  It’s not even so much about a manger, a baby, and swaddling clothes.  The story revolves around that last phrase, save His people from their sins.  Christ came to this world not just to be born, but to die.  To be a perfect sacrifice to save our souls from sin.  The most “Grinchy” thing we can do each Christmas is to try to celebrate the season absentee Christ.

Churches in Missions December Prayer Letter 2022

Churches in Missions

 “Mobilizing the Church Through Short-term Mission Trips”

Merry Christmas,

      Long ago the prophet Isaiah said, “For unto us a child is born, unto us, a son is given.”  That is the sum of what Christmas really is about.  While we enjoy family gatherings, lights, trees, gifts, caroling, and many other parts of Christmas, all of them would be pointless without the Christ-child that was born, the Son of God that was given for us.  Christ departed the glories of heaven to come to this world to take upon Himself flesh and dwell among us.  He came with the mission of saving us from our sin.  The true irony of Christmas is that we celebrate the birth of a child who was destined to die for all mankind.  This Christmas rejoice in the finished gift of God put on open display through Jesus Christ!

Christmas is a season of rejoicing and we wanted to invite you to rejoice with us.  The past month has been incredibly fruitful.  First, Matt flew to Chicago to speak at an IFCA youth conference in Central Illinois. There were over 150 teens gathered to hear a challenge from God’s Word.  Matt preached about the things that the world promises to fill you but always leave you empty and the promises that God offers us and always satisfies.  There were many deep spiritual conversations ranging from assurance of salvation, rededications, to teens struggling with various different addictions.  Continue to pray for these teens as they apply God’s Word to their lives.  A huge thanks to Liberty Bible Church and their youth pastor Spencer for their great hospitality.

We have also had a robust schedule in regard to speaking occasions.  We have shared with Locust Valley Bible Church, Cumberland Bible Church, Battlefield Bible Church, and Boonsboro Bible Church.  We are blessed by these churches' interest in our ministry and how they have come alongside us to share the Gospel with those who are still spiritually lost.

One of our biggest praises comes from our first-ever Thanksgiving outreach in McDowell County West Virginia.  You guys came through in a HUGE WAY.  A special thanks to Chambersburg Bible, Locust Valley, South Mountain Bible, Lifehouse of Martinsburg, Cumberland Bible, Hagerstown Bible, Calvary Community, Chestnut Grove, Lighthouse Baptist of Hagerstown, and countless other friends.  Because of you, we were able to distribute over 150 chickens, 122 turkeys, 200 bars of soap, 100 towels, 300 washcloths, 300 toothbrushes, 200 tubes of toothpaste, 150 combs, 67 shampoos, over 700 cans of veggies, over 1000 pair of socks, countless hygiene items, LOTS of winter clothing, other food items, along with nearly 50 Bibles!!!  Our family was joined by our newest CiM mission family, the Cooks.  We packaged 78 food boxes (along with hygiene bags with Bibles and tracts).  People lined up an hour before our event!  We worried if we would have enough items to hand out but by God’s grace there were exactly 78 families that arrived!!  Steve and Alicia (Cook) along with Matt shared the Gospel with the people on the street.  They talked with dozens of people and prayed with many of them.

After distributing food our families traveled to the Living Waters Ministry Center in Welch to cook a Thanksgiving dinner.  This is a drug rehab center for women.  The focus is getting clean from drugs and clean from sin.  The program is extremely Gospel-centered.  We were able to talk with the ladies at the center.  They shared stories of being trafficked, molested, aborted babies, drug addiction, homelessness, etc.  Our hearts broke as we heard the tragedy of these ladies’ lives, but we rejoiced to hear them turn the conversation to Jesus.  Multiple ladies have put saving faith in Christ.  Most of them have been clean for months.  They are regularly learning about the Word and serving their community.  Pray for these precious ladies, especially for a woman in the center who is in her second trimester of pregnancy.

 We are thankful for all that God has done these past twelve months.  We have seen him move in ways that are beyond description.  God continually shows us how unfailing His faithfulness is.  We also rejoice for each of you who regularly pray and give.  We honestly couldn’t do this without you.  But we don’t just look backward, but we look forward.  We currently are in conversation to lead five mission trips next year, survey a new area in New York, one camp, one VBS, a mission conference, and countless other things.  We look forward to another great year of serving the Lord together as a family.  We would love to share what God’s been doing with your local church!  One big note is that our family is transitioning most of our mission work to a new email address, mandtcim@gmail.com.  If you would like to receive our prayer letters via email instead of snail mail please let us know.  Also, if you would like to receive more regular updates along with devotionals please email us. 

Our family wishes you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a happy New Year!  May God bless you and keep you as we serve together until He comes.

The Return: December 11th Devotional

 

The Return

Zechariah 1:3

December 11th Devotional

      On this day in 1913, the Mona Lisa was returned to the Louvre in France.  The famous painting was stolen early on August 21^st, 1911.  It doesn’t take a student of art to recognize the Mona Lisa.  It is considered the most famous painting in the world.  The painting was a work of Leonardo da Vinci sometime around the year 1507.  The Italian Renaissance peaked, and gorgeous portraits were created by some of the most famous artists.  The simple half-portrait was Lisa del Gioncondo.  She was a famous Italian noblewoman at the time.  The painting was commissioned by her husband.  Da Vinci started the painting around the year 1503 and it took him multiple years to complete.  The simple 30-inch by 21-inch painting was not considered a great piece of art until three hundred years later.  Most people didn’t even consider it to be one of da Vinci’s better works.  Finally, in the late 1800s, the art community began to recognize the painting, but most people in the general populace still were not familiar with the painting.  The theft was carried out by three Italians.  There was a pair of brothers named Vincenzo and Michele Lancelotti, and the mastermind of the burglary was Vincent Perugia.  Perugia had worked for the Louvre.  He was actually hired to put protective frames over the works of art, one of them being the Mona Lisa.  They hid out in an art supply closet and early in the morning they removed the 200-pound painting, removed the glass and frame, and hid the painting under Perugia’s smock.  Perugia stole the painting for two reasons; first to sell it for money and second because he, being an Italian, felt the painting belonged in Italy.  News of the heist was on the front page of every newspaper.  The spot where the painting was missing was called the “Mark of Shame.”  The formerly unknown painting was all that people talked about.  Everyone now knew of this obscure work of art.  With the heat turned up, Perugia was unable to sell the painting.  He had to hide it in the false bottom of his trunk at his Paris apartment.  For 28 months the police frantically tried to find the painting.  They interviewed Pablo Picasso and actually interviewed Perugia twice before they felt he was totally incapable of stealing the piece of art.  Finally, Vincent tried to sell the piece only to be busted by the police.  

      The Mona Lisa became famous because of its return.  It was taken away, it was stolen, and it was hidden at the bottom of a trunk for over two years, destined to maybe never see the light of day again.  But it returned.  The Bible talks about the theme of returning, especially in the Old Testament.  The nation of Israel would stray into sin and idolatry, but each time the voice of God would call them to repent and return.  The prophet Zechariah wrote these words “Return to me, declares the Lord Almighty and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty (1:3).”  2^nd Chronicles says “For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate.  He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”  God cries out to his children who have wandered from the fold to repent and return.  To leave the byways of sin and despair.  To stop our love for the trifles of this world.  To stop running from our God and run back to our God.  Sin wrecks our lives.  It distances us from the sweet fellowship that Christ has called us into.  God is calling us to return.  I’m reminded of the prodigal son in Luke’s Gospel account.  The prodigal wandered, sinned, rebelled, and eventually came to an end for himself.  But what makes the account of the prodigal famous isn’t what he did in rebellion, but the fact that he repented and returned.  God is calling you to return to Him.  Will you obey?  Remember, the spot of the missing painting was called the “Mark of Shame.”  The mark of shame for us as a believer is not coming back to the Lord.  Come today.  He’s calling to you.

Adrift: December 4th Devotional

 Adrift

Ephesians 4:14

December 4th Devotional

     On this day in 1872 the Canadian ship, Dei Gratia found an American ship named the Mary Celeste adrift, without a crew near the Azores Islands (Portugal).  The story of the Mary Celeste is wrapped in mystery.  The ship was originally built by Joshua Dewis in Nova Scotia in 1861 and was called the Amazon.  The ship was built to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to bring loads of timber to and from England and France.  The ship had a checkered history during that time.  Its first captain became sick on the first journey and had to return back to Canada.  He died shortly after.  The ship would endure multiple other problems until it was wrecked and abandoned in 1867.  The ship was salvaged, repurposed, and sold.  It would be renamed the “Mary Celeste.”  The ship’s new captain was Benjamin Briggs.  Briggs was an extremely capable seaman.  He was well-respected among his peers.  He had considerable experience and had spent more time at sea than on land.  He had considered retiring from the sea shortly before becoming captain of the renamed ship.  The ship was loaded down with nearly six months of supplies and was employed to travel to Genoa Italy.  The crew consisted of only ten people, including most of Briggs's family.  It set sail from New York on November 7^th, 1872.  The journey across the sea was anything but easy.  The captain’s log records that they endured rough seas for roughly two weeks.  Captain Morehouse of the Dei Gratia (By the Grace of God) spotted a ship that was obviously adrift.  Ironically the Dei Gratia was stationed near the Mary Celeste prior to sailing.  There is even a rumor that the captain of the two ships dined before setting sail.  Morehouse sent two crew members onto the ‘ghost ship’ to investigate.  The ship had obviously endured a rough journey but it was 100% seaworthy.  For the most part, nothing was touched on the ship.  There were ample supplies and nothing showed any wrongdoing.  The only thing missing was maps and the captain’s navigational equipment.  The last captain's log was from ten days earlier and nothing seemed amiss in it.  Morehouse brought the ship to Gibraltar where it would again be repurposed and used until 1885 when it was purposefully wrecked off the coast of Haiti in an insurance fraud claim.  

      The mystery of the Mary Celeste remains unsolved to this day.  There are multiple conspiracy theories on what happened, but no facts.  The only fact that remains is that the ship was adrift and the crew was lost.  Being adrift is always a danger.  There is a greater danger though, being adrift spiritually.  There are countless people who are rudderless and directionless spiritually.  The Bible warns about this in Ephesians 4:14, which says “as a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every win of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by the craftiness in deceitful scheming.”  Paul talks about people who are adrift spiritually.  They are adrift spiritually because they are not grounded in sound doctrine/teaching.  Sound teaching is like an anchor for our life.  It keeps us grounded when life’s storms come our way.  We obtain sound teaching from God’s Word.  Not just owning God’s Word, but actually reading and instilling God’s Word in our life.  Doctrine, while not necessarily popular or attractive as other areas of our faith, is vitally important to keep us from going adrift.  The world will blow winds of false teaching in our direction.  New ‘theology’ will crop up.  It will be ‘desirable’ and ‘attractive’, but it is destructive to our spiritual growth and undermines true, sound teaching.  Get grounded in God’s Word or you will go adrift.

The Saddest Parade: November 27th Devotional

 

The Saddest Parade

Matthew 27:32

November 27th Devotional

On this day in 1924, Macy’s Celebrated its first-ever Thanksgiving (Christmas) Day parade.  It was the roaring twenties and a time of great prosperity and pleasure.  The Macy’s Day parade is tied for the second oldest Thanksgiving parade in the country (the oldest is in Philadelphia).  The parade started at 9:00 AM and lasted for three hours.  The total length of the parade was only two city blocks but the route was three times (around 6 miles) longer than it is today.  This “Marathon of Mirth” started with a police escort at 145 Street and Convent street.  It had three floats, four bands, and borrowed animals from the Central Park Zoo.  A noticeable absence was the balloons.  Balloons weren’t introduced until 1927, replacing the animals that scared the children.  The parade was staffed by Macy’s employees, family, and friends who volunteered.  Most of the workers today still consist of Macy’s employees (there is an estimated 6500 workers for the parade today).  Around 250,000 spectators eagerly crowded the streets to see the sights and hear the sounds.  The theme of that first year was nursery rhymes.  Little ones got to see their favorite characters like Little Red Riding Hood and Little Miss Muffet dressed in vibrant colors.  The parade route marched toward 34^th Street, which was the location of Macy’s flagship store.  The ecstatic onlookers waited for the crown of the parade at the end.  The end of the parade was Santa, or as he was labeled that first parade, “The King of the Kiddies.”  He sat on a throne announcing that it was officially Christmas time.

      The Macy’s Day parade has only been canceled three times since then (due to WW II).  There was even a version of the parade during Covid.  Today over three million people pack the parade route while nearly 26 million people tune their television screens for this pre-Thanksgiving meal celebration.  The Bible doesn’t record many “parades”, but it does give details in regards to one of the most tragic ones in history.  Nearly two thousand years ago the citizens of Jerusalem gathered around the ancient city streets to see a spectacle.  The crowd would have pressed together in hopes to witness a once and a lifetime event.  The rumors had spread through the city in the early morning hours.  They heard that Pilate washed his hands of the one named Jesus and turned him over to the religious leaders to be crucified.  A wearied and beaten Jesus bore the cross beam toward Golgotha, toward the place of destiny.  The raucous crowd would have flung insult after insult at the innocent Lamb of God.  The soldiers noticed Jesus’ struggle and the Bible says “As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross (Matthew 27:32).”  We know nothing about this man other than the facts given.  We simply know that he helped Jesus bear His cross.  Jesus was nailed to the cross, He suffered, bled, and died.  He gave us His life so that we would have life.  He was forsaken from His Father so we could be adopted into the family of God.  The moment of celebration didn’t come through during the tragic parade route through old Jerusalem, the celebration came three days later as Christ burst forth from the grave defeating death, sin, and Satan for all who come to believe.  There are many reasons to give thanks during this season, but let us not forget the world's saddest parade that would bring about the happiest of days.

Desserts and Disobedience: November 20th Devotional

Desserts and Disobedience

November 20th Devotional

1st Samuel 15:23

      Almost every one of you have read a Golden Book in your life.  You remember the hardback children’s books with the gold spine.  Most of them were located near the front of grocery stores.  The books are icons in the world of literature.  They are a staple in most of our reading journeys.  Golden books were first introduced in 1942.  The nation was still coming out of the great depression and money was tight for a lot of families.  Books were an unheard-of luxury, especially kids' books.  The average cost of a children’s book at that time was roughly $2-3, which doesn’t sound like much but if we figure in inflation, those books would cost $38-$50 today.  Most of us wouldn’t buy a book that expensive.  A man named George Duplaix wanted to change that.  He worked for Western Publishing.  He felt that children’s books should be colorful, quality, and cheap.  The books originally rolled out with a .25c price tag!  The company decided to publish twelve original titles, some of which included: Three Little Kittens, Mother Goose, Prayers for our Children, The Little Red Hen, and The Animals of Farmer Jones.  The books were a phenomenal hit, selling over 1.5 million copies in one year.  Today there was over 1200 different Golden Book stories, but none quite as popular as the Poky Little Puppy.  The Pokey Little Puppy was part of the original run of twelve.  It was written by Janette Lowrey and illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren.  This book would be the ONE BILLIONTH Golden Book printed on this day in 1986!  Golden books then crossed the two billion threshold in 2002!  The Poky Little Puppy itself has sold over 15 million copies making it the best-selling hardcover children’s book of all time.

      Most of us are familiar with the story of the Poky Little Puppy.  It follows an inquisitive and disobedient little brown and white puppy who is anything but Poky.  The story tells us of a family of puppies who were warned by their mother to not wander or dig holes under fences.  “But, the five little puppies dug a hole under the fence, just the same, and went for a walk in the wide, wide world” and find the terrible punishment of not having dessert!  Each puppy that is but one.  The poky little puppy also disobeys his mother but he isn’t present for his punishment because he was out exploring bugs, grass, and lizards.  He would return when everyone was asleep and would eat the dessert.  This continued a few times until the Poky Little Puppy is caught red-handed and isn’t given any strawberry shortcake.  This cute little story ends with a sign on the fence “Don’t ever dig holes under this fence.”  Puppies are not the only things that are prone to being disobedient, we as humans have a bend toward defiance.  Disobedience against God is us going against His clear will for our life.  It is doing the opposite of what God teaches.  It is a failure and a refusal to bend the knee to God’s authority in our life.  God takes disobedience seriously.  The prophet Samuel comes to a rebellious King Saul with serious words in 1^st Kings 15:23, “For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.  Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”  God considers rebellion against God as equal to witchcraft and idolatry.  If we were to grade the seriousness of sin, we would probably think that those two sins were much worse, but not in God’s eyes.  The sign on the fence gave a warning against digging holes, God’s Word warns us not to disobey.  Disobedience cost the puppies a loss of dessert, disobedience for us costs something far worse, our fellowship with God, our relationships with loved ones, our jobs, our testimony, our integrity, and the list could go on and on.  Nothing good comes from our rebellion against God.  It brings loss, pain, and suffering.  Disobedience is a black hole for everything good in our life.

The Inner Battle: November 13th Devotional

The Inner Battle
November 13th Devotional

James 1:14-15

      On this day in 1850, Robert Lewis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh Scotland.  Robert was an only child who was very ill.  His fragile health even lasted into his adult years.  He often missed multiple months of school.  Because of this, he struggled with reading and the ability to make friends.  He developed a love for writing despite his educational struggles.  Stevenson would go to the University of Edinburgh to study engineering.  Most of his father’s side of the family were lighthouse engineers and designers, but Robert found the classes quite boring and would often skip lectures.  After college Robert became an atheist, which broke his parent’s hearts.  During this time, he started to study law and was officially called to the Scottish bar in 1875, but he never practiced.  The only thing that brought him fulfillment was writing.  He became a household name with the swashbuckling adventure “Treasure Island” but his most famous novel was the “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”  The idea of this gothic horror novel came to him in a dream (more of a nightmare).  Robert originally wrote the manuscript to the book in three days but his wife suggested that he make some changes.  Robert, who was bedridden at the time decided to burn all the manuscripts, forcing him to start from nothing.  He labored for six weeks on the book until it was finally sent to the publisher.  The book skyrocketed in popularity and became one of Stevenson’s best-selling books.  He would go on to publish 13 novels, 8 books on travel, countless collections of essays, poems, letters, and he even wrote over 120 musical pieces (some set to his own poems).  Robert would tragically die of a stroke at the age of 44, leaving behind many unfinished pieces of literature.

      Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a tale familiar to most of us.  It follows the story of what seems to be two very different men.  A man named Edward Hyde was a villain and murderer.  The other main character is Doctor Henry Jekyll.  Hyde would often commit violent crimes but Dr. Jekyll would have to bail him out.  These events go on for quite some time in the book.  Dr. Jekyll’s friends were flabbergasted by this.  They thought that Hyde was blackmailing the good doctor.  Finally, Doctor Jekyll’s butler informs his friends that Henry had locked himself inside his lab for weeks.  His friends break into the laboratory only to find Hyde wearing Dr. Jekyll’s clothing.  They find a note that gave a grim tale.  The note detailed how Dr. Jekyll often battled the urge of good versus evil.  He tried to repress these terrible urges.  Thus he created a serum that would change him into Edward Hyde.  His alter ego Hyde would then go on a spree of evil and violence.  Eventually, Hyde started to take over without the serum.  Dr. Jekyll determined there was only one way to be free; by tragically taking his own life.  This fictional horror story has an all too real-life feel though.  The story reminds us of the dangers when we allow sin left unchecked in our life.  When we allow sin to domineer our life we will find that it would devour us.  Our sin nature is a monster with a seemingly insatiable appetite.  The draw of sin can derail a life of faithfulness.  Think of how many people have thrown away their families, careers, ministries, or testimonies because sin had become such a dominant force.  The Bible warns of us this in James 1:14-15, which says “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.  That when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin: and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”  Those are some very sobering words.  Each Christian has an inner battle; the old man versus the new man, light versus darkness.  It is quite literally a war, but it is a war we need to be aware of each day.  We cannot afford to allow our sinful nature or our ‘inner Hyde” to control us.  We need to regularly be in God’s Word and prayer.  We cannot allow sin to grow in the darkness of our hearts.  Dr. Jekyll’s battle with Hyde consumed him and destroyed him.  Are you battling against the ‘inner Hyde?’

Marching on the Impossible: November 6th

Marching on the Impossible

November 6th Devotional

Joshua Chapter Six

      On this day in 1854, John Philip Sousa was born in Washington DC.  Sousa was the third of ten children.  Both of his parents were immigrants.  Sousa’s father had a passion for music which he instilled in his son.  John started to study the violin at a young age and enrolled in music theory classes taught by some of the most talented musicians in the D.C. area.  He loved music and excelled at it.  He even attempted to create his own orchestra when he was 11.  Despite his talents, he still wanted to try other pathways.  At one time he aspired to be a baker and at the age of 13, he wanted to run away with the circus.  His father noticed how unsettled young John’s heart was so he signed him up as an apprentice to the Marine Corps Band.  John’s father was a trombonist in the band and the Marine Corps tent was only a short distance from their home.  He served the band for seven years.  After leaving the band he became a violinist and eventually a conductor, but nothing could replace the burning that he had for marching music.  He returned to the Marine Corps band in 1880 as their conductor and would remain in that role until 1892. It was during this time that he wrote the Marine Corps Marching band song called “Semper Fidelis” which is still the Marine Corps song.  He led this particular song for the inauguration of five presidents.  He revolutionized the Marine Corps Band.  He expected nothing short of excellence.  The band started touring and recording music.  After leaving the band he became a band leader in the civilian world.  He did this until he died in 1932.  He conducted nearly 16,000 concerts in his lifetime.  As a matter of fact, he was conducting a practice for “Stars and Stripes Forever” the day before he died.

      Sousa will forever be remembered as the “March King.”  His marches, especially his patriotic ones are still played today (typically on the fourth of July during fireworks).  His baton is still passed down to each new conductor of the Marine Corps Band.  The Bible mentions a march, but one without music.  Joshua, the newly appointed leader of Israel had a daunting task set before him, Jericho.  Those walls had to look intimidating.  This was a large city with a mighty army.  The task was considered impossible.  One might assume that they would lay a siege against the city.  To literally starve the people out.  But God had a different plan for the Israelites.  In Joshua 6:2 God told Joshua “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.  March around the city once with all the armed men.  Do this for six days.  Have seven priests carry trumpets of ram’s horns in front of the ark.  On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.  When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout, then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”  Joshua even told the people, “do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout…”  Joshua and the army obeyed.  They marched around the city for six days, and finally, on the seventh day the city walls fell down and the army marched right inside.  The walls of Jericho should have been completely impenetrable.  The task should have been impossible.  The mission seemed silly, but Joshua and the Israelites obeyed by faith.  As believers, there are times when Jericho’s walls are still in front of us.  Maybe God is asking you to do something hard, impossible, or maybe something out of your comfort zone.  He isn’t asking you to attack the wall, to dig under the wall, to flee from the impossible, He is asking you to simply obey Him.  He is asking you to trust Him.  What Jericho is in front of you right now?  What seems impossible?  Your marriage?  Your calling?  Your purpose?  Jesus said, “with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  March on the impossible.  March in obedience.  March in faith.

Remedy for Panic: October 30th Devotional

      

The Remedy for Panic

October 30th Devotional

Psalm 55

   While children were preparing for a fun Sunday evening of trick or treat the Columbia Broadcasting System was airing an updated version of H.G. Well’s “The War of the Worlds” on their 8:00 PM slot.  The year was 1938 and most Americans were gathered around their radios for their evening entertainment.  Dramatized radio theater was extremely popular during that time.  Most famous Hollywood actors were also narrators for radio stations.  The narrator for this particular broadcast was a young Orson Welles.  Welles was only 23 at the time but was already famous for his voice on “The Shadow.”  Welles theater group, the Mercury Theater, wanted to update “The War of the Worlds.”  H.G. Wells, the writer, was a famous English author who penned over fifty pieces in his lifetime, the most famous of which were his science fiction novels, which included “The Time Machine” and “The Invisible Man.”  He is considered to be the father of science fiction novels.  The broadcast started as a faux newscast; it included daily news along with a weather forecast.  Anyone who didn’t know it was a dramatization would have thought it was simply the evening news mixed in with music from Ramón Raquello and his orchestra.  But as the broadcast continued there were interruptions by explosions on Mars, interviews with scientists, and eventually a crash landing near a farm in Grover’s Mill New Jersey.  It was there that the Martians began their attack against the human race.  The program was acted so perfectly that many people felt that the broadcast was real instead of fiction.  It was reported that many people panicked.  People were calling into the station and the producers were so shocked that they had to interrupt the program to announce that it was fiction.  The damage was already done.  Police rushed to the station and attempted to stop the broadcast.  This act was investigated and highly criticized for weeks, but it made Orson Welles a household name.  He was cast as the lead in the movie Citizen Kane shortly after this program (Kane is considered to be one of the most famous films in cinematic history).

      The listeners of the program panicked.  I mean let’s be honest, if we thought Martians were attacking I’m pretty sure we would panic too.  What about panic?  The Bible doesn’t use the word panic per se, but it does give situations when people were panicked.  A good example can be Psalm 55:3-8 “My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.  And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!  I would fly away and be at rest; yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest.”  This rings clear of a time of panic.  You can almost picture the writer’s blood pressure increasing, his chest tightening, his fear rising and his faith sinking.  We can picture it because we’ve been there.  We live in a world full of trouble and stress.  It can be overbearing at times.  It can almost leave us handicapped.  Some of you reading this might deal with panic regularly, maybe even resulting in panic attacks.  What do we do in the face of such a fearsome and powerful enemy?  What did the Psalmist do?  In Psalm 55:16-17 the writer tells us “But I call to God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.”  The cause of the panic doesn’t magically go away, but the Psalmist finds his strength in the Lord.  He cries out to God, and the promise is that God listens and God will help.  It doesn’t make sense for us as Christians to act like there is nothing in this world that will cause us panic and fear.  God understands that we are prone to worry and panic, that’s why He’s always readily available to listen and aid us.  Our prayer to God helps to protect us from being overpowered by fear and panic.  It guards our hearts and minds.  Apply prayer to your panic and you will find peace.

Good Things Come in Small Packages: October 23rd Devotional

Good Things Come in Small Packages

October 23rd Devotional

Proverbs 30:25

    On this day in 1930, J.K. Scott won the first-ever miniature golf tournament.  The game of golf was invented around 600 years ago but the game of mini-golf is a relatively new invention.  The game of mini-golf was created by an entrepreneur named Garnet Carter.  Carter developed a hotel on Lookout Mountain called Fairyland Inn and wanted to create an 18-hole golf course.  The course construction took much longer than he expected and he wanted to create an attraction for his guests, thus the birth of mini golf, or as he patented it, Tom Thumb Golf.  Originally, he thought that the fairyland course with elves and gnomes would only be played by children but much to his surprise the course was overrun by adults.  Carter patented the game of mini golf and within three years of its invention, there were over 25,000 ‘putt-putt’ courses in the United States.  The game skyrocketed in popularity.  The Tom Thumb Open mini-golf tournament took place in Chattanooga in 1930.  Qualifications playoff games took place in all 48 states at the time.  The total purse available was $10,000, with $2,000 to the winner (which would be valued at $32,000 today).  Over 200 players from 30 states participated.  The game was intense and the score was close, but in the end, J.K. Scott came out as the winner.  The great depression hit miniature golf pretty hard.  Most people could not afford luxuries or entertainment during that time and it faded away into memory.  It didn’t pick up in popularity again until about the 1970s.

      Most of you can remember playing miniature golf.  We would grab our favorite color ball (mine was always orange), get a putter that seemed to match our height, take a scoring card with a tiny pencil, and prepare to conquer the green.  You know how the game starts.  The first hole is typically a straight shot straight down the middle, an easy par 2.  But as the course goes on it gets incrementally harder.  Soon we are battling sand traps, rocks in the middle of the course, windmills (got me every time), jumps, and shots that only a person with an advanced math degree can figure out.  We pretended we had skills but at the end of the day, it was just pure, plain dumb luck.  Some of it might have been a bit of cheating as we scooted our ball closer to the hole (you know you're guilty).  Truly, mini golf was one of those good things that come in small packages.  The Bible talks about miniature or small things.  In Proverbs 30:24-28 Solomon writes about four small things that should astonish us, one of which is the ant.  He writes “The ants are not a strong people, but they prepare their food in the summer (verse 25).”  Biblically the ant serves as a direct rebuke against the sluggard, or the lazy man.  The ant is hard-working and prepared.  He knows the summer is short and the winter is quickly coming.  Likewise, we as a believer must be prepared people.  We might not currently be suffering through a winter season, but someone in the future will.  What should we as Christians be prepared for?  Temptations, trials, and Christ’s return.  Sadly, we spend more time preparing for vacations and retirement than serving Jesus and looking for His return.  How are you preparing yourself to live for Christ each day?  Are you intentionally setting time aside for prayer?  Are you putting on the whole armor of God?  Are you daily spending time in the Scriptures?  Are you daily decreasing yourself and increasing Christ in your life?  What, if any preparation do we have to live a Christian life?  It’s not always the ‘big’ things, somethings it’s the small things that matter most.

The Lion's Story: October 16th

 

The Lion's Story

October 16th Devotional

Revelation 5:5

      On this day the “Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” was published; this would be the first of seven different books encompassing the Chronicles of Narnia.  Narnia was the creation of C.S. Lewis, or as he was better known by his friends, Jack.  Lewis was an academic genius during his time.  He served as a professor at both Oxford and Cambridge, writing extensively.  He was also an agnostic and a critic of Biblical truth.  All of that changed in 1931.  It was in that year that Lewis miraculously trusted Christ as his Savior.  This dramatically changed his life.  His “Paul” like conversion sent waves through academia and his purpose in life changed from denying God to speaking about the existence of God.  He is considered one of the most proficient apologists of our time period.  His books Mere Christianity and The Screwtape letters are considered masterpieces in the Christian writing genre but none would compare with the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  The idea for the book came to Lewis when he was 16 years old.  He started to write about Narnia in 1939 but didn’t finish writing the book until 1949.  At the time fantasy literature was looked down on.  It was looked at as childish as best and one critic said that fantasy literature would damage young readers' minds.  Lewis's publisher, Geoffrey Bles also thought the book was going to be a complete flop.  Narnia literally opened the wardrobe for many young people’s love for reading.  We can recall the four Pevensie children who are sent to the English countryside to live with the professor because of the dangers of WW II.  It was there that Lucy entered a wardrobe during a game of hide and go-seek.  She found herself in the snow-covered woods, by the lamppost, being greeted by a friendly faun named Mr. Tumnus.  The story unfolds when all four Pevensie children enter Narnia only to discover it was under the curse of the White Witch named Jadis.  An epic battle ensues between her and the land’s creator, a Lion named Aslan.  Through a twist of fate, Aslan would lay down his life on the stone table in order to rescue Edmund, the brother who betrayed them to the witch.  You will have to read the story to find out the enchanting ending!  

      The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe launched a seven-book series that has sold millions of copies, brought forth multiple film renditions, and has stolen the heart of many a reader.  Lewis purposefully wrote the book as a Christian allegory, with Aslan, the lion, standing as a ‘type of Christ.’  The Bible refers to Christ as a Lion in Revelation 5:5 which says “And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”  The Apostle John was given a vision of heaven while he was suffering as a prisoner on the island of Patmos.  It was here that woe-filled heaven because none of its occupants were able to open a scroll…everyone that is except for one.  There was in the midst of the heavenly host the Lion of Judah, the only one who was worthy to open the scrolls.  In verse nine we find that this lion was also the lamb of God who bled and died to ransom the people, buying them back from the clutches of sin.  This description can only refer to one person, Jesus Christ.  Christ is the Lion of Judah, which is a direct fulfillment of prophecy from Genesis 49.  The image of a lion here shows a leader who is powerful, who is a conqueror, who is victorious!  As Christians, we can rejoice that Christ isn’t just the Lamb of God but also the “Lion of God.”  He didn’t just die as a perfect unblemished Lamb, but He rose as a victorious Lion defeating sin, death, the grave, and Satan for us.  He still remains the Lion in our life, roaring out the echo that we are more than conquerors through Him.

Head of the Church: October 9th Devotional

  Head of the Church

October 9th Devotional

Colossians 1:18

      On this day in 1635, Pastor Roger Williams was banished from the Massachusetts Colony because of his ‘extreme Christian’ and separatist views.  The late 1500s and early 1600s were politically charged times in the colonies.  The Protestant Reformation was only slightly over 100 years earlier and England’s break from Catholicism even less time.  Christianity was in a moment of major flux.  While the Church of England proudly boasted its freedom from the Roman Catholic Church it still had many vestiges of Catholicism.  A group of people called the Separatists, better known as Puritans, felt a need to purify the church from what they called the rags of popery.  This particular group stood against the existence of a state-run church and felt that a church should have no authority over it except for the Bible and God.  This early group of Separatists were punished heavily for their opposition.  They would be jailed for failure to attend state-run church services, have their possessions removed, and some of them severely beaten.  One such Separatist was named Roger Williams.  Williams was born in the early 1600s.  The persecution against those that were Puritans in England was harsh.  Many were beaten and some were even burned at the stake. Williams fled to Massachusetts to find religious freedom.  He arrived in 1630, a mere ten years after the landing of the Mayflower.  Within those ten years, the Church of England dug its heel into the young colony and began to punish anyone who stood against the state church.  They claimed that the church’s independence was a doctrine of Satan.  Williams started to pastor in Boston but had to flee because of his views on the autonomy of the local church, along with his sympathy for the Native Americans.  He would then travel to Salem to pastor.  The congregation as a whole loved him but the magistrates did not.  They forced him to leave the colony under the penalty of death.  He left in the bitter winter.  He traversed 55 miles through the frigid and unforgiving terrain during a blizzard.  A group of Native Americans gave him aid and he legally purchased land from them.  It was on this site that Providence Rhode Island would be formed.  This land became a place for everyone fleeing religious persecution and seeking religious freedom.  This site would also be where the first established Baptist Church in America was formed.

      Williams's view 400 years ago was considered heretical.  It was extremely dangerous to question the state’s authority over the local church.  But, if the state isn’t the authority of the church, then who or what is?  The Bible doesn’t hesitate to tell us who is the authority of the local church.  Paul writes in Colossians 1:18, “He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”  Paul uses the metaphor of the head to describe Christ’s position in the local church.  The head, or brain, controls the rest of the body.  What the brain does, the body responds in obedience.  If the body does not respond to the brain's requests then there is a serious medical issue.  Christ is the head of the church which means He is the leader of the church.  He controls every part of the church.  He provides it with life and direction.  Most of you reading this wouldn’t argue with the theological truth of Christ’s headship over the church.  The issue isn’t doctrinal, it’s application.  Does Christ have absolute authority in our local church?  Do we allow Him to lead and guide the church?  Does our church look more like a New Testament Church or a business model/pyramid scheme?  How do we place Christ as the head of the local Church?  It isn’t something a pastor or a counsel does, it’s something that individual believers do.  A church cannot have Christ in His preeminent position as leader unless He is first leader of each of our lives.  He must be the Lord of our hearts and homes before He is the Lord of our churches.  Honestly, do you allow Christ to lead your life and the life of your local church?

 

Finding Security: October 2nd Devotional

Finding Security

October 2nd Devotional

Romans 8:38-39

 

     On this day in 1950, the comic strip Peanuts was introduced to the world.  Peanuts was the creation of Charles Schultz.  Charles was born in Minnesota and was an only child.  His uncle gave him the nickname Sparky, a name that would live with him his whole life.  Schultz developed a love of drawing at a young age.  He would spend hours drawing the family dog, Spike.   He would go on to serve faithfully during WW II.  After the war, he moved into a small apartment with his father.  Charles was struggling with depression and loneliness which stemmed from his mother’s death shortly before he left for the military.  It was during this time that he started to draw a weekly cartoon for the Saint Paul Pioneer Press.  The comic strip was called Li’l Folks.  It only earned him $10 a week but he found great joy and fulfillment in it.  He drew that cartoon from 1947 until 1950.  This comic strip would be the one that introduced the world to Charlie Brown and it had a dog that looked very similar to Snoopy.  Finally, in 1950 a large newspaper syndicate signed a contract with Schulz to produce cartoons under the name “Peanuts.”  Schulz originally bulked at the offer because he wasn’t allowed to name the new comic strip and he despised the name of the strip throughout the remainder of his life.  Peanuts first appeared in seven national papers and took a while until it gained traction.  Soon names like Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Peppermint Patty, Linus, and countless others became household names.  At its height Peanuts was published in 2600 papers in over 75 countries.  Charles would draw nearly 18,000 Peanut comic strips over the course of its 50-year run.  During that time, he only took one vacation.

      My personal favorite character in the comic strip was Linus van Pelt, the brother of the brutish Lucy who often tormented poor Charlie Brown.  Linus was Charlie Brown’s best friend.  He would often serve as Charlie’s own personal sage, philosopher, and resident theologian.  Linus was extremely wise and intelligent for his youth.  Charlie Brown’s life was fraught with anxiety and failure.  Linus would often be that anchor of advice and good counsel.  But despite all of his confidence Linus always clung to his blue blanket.  Almost every depiction of Linus in the series has him totting his security blanket.  The blanket is often a target of attack by Snoopy.  Snoopy engages in some entertaining, albeit crazy schemes to relieve Linus of his blanket….to take his security.  We also have an enemy who is constantly trying to steal the confidence of our security in Christ; his name is Satan.  The Bible gives overwhelming evidence that once we are saved we are secure.  Our salvation isn’t a trifle that can be lost nor can it be stolen or forfeited.  But that doesn’t mean that Satan won’t bring us to moments when we doubt if we truly are saved.  It’s good at times to reflect and be grounded in the reality of our salvation.  Indeed we have to be sure that we are saved by grace through faith.  We want to know that we are saved, but once we know, we can’t afford to allow the assaults of despair and doubt to strike us.  In our defeat and failure Satan will whisper in our ear that God has rejected us, that we aren’t truly saved, and that we are not a child of God.  He will scheme to try to pry us away from the assurance that we have in Jesus’ finished work for us.  How can we respond?  Paul gives us a solid reminder in Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Paul says he is convinced that NOTHING will ever be able to separate him from God’s love.  Satan will shoot fiery dart after fiery dart attempting to get us to question our salvation.  Respond with the truth of the Scripture,  NOTHING can separate me from my God’s deep and endless love for me!