Devotional

Faith God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Psalm 46:1-3   STORY Martin Luther was a Roman Catholic priest and monk who considered that the Church of Rome was corrupt, specifically for its legalism and emphasis on collecting money. On October 31,1517, he posted his famous 95 Theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg, inviting a debate on the issues…

Witnessing So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. John 12:17   STORY Tom T. Hall was born in 1936 in the small town of Olive Hill, Kentucky. He grew up in a log cabin that was built by his grandfather. As a child he was a prolific reader who was also captivated by music broadcasts on the radio. He started playing the guitar at the age of four, and when he was eight he began to compose music. In his six-decade…

Ambassadors 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view;[a] even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view,[b] we no longer know him in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there[c] is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being![d] 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,[e] not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for…

Witnessing To this day I have had help from God, and so I stand here, testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would take place. Acts 26:22 (NRSV) STORY James Patterson is best known for his Alex Cross novels. He has written 322 books, with the assistance of 32 co-writers. One of those collaborators was former president Bill Clinton, in which they wrote two books together. In February 2020 Patterson went to Nashville to invite Dolly Parton to be a co-author in writing a novel. She contemplated the idea, and then, two…

EVIL Everyone who commits sin is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8 (NRSV) STORY In the movie The Devil’s Advocate, which was released in 1997, Kevin Lomax, who is played by Keanu Reeves, is a defense lawyer who specializes in jury selection. Even though he is appalled by the actions of his clients and allows witnesses to lie on the stand, he is driven, not by justice, but by a motivation to always win. Realizing…

Christian Life Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Epiphanes 5:1-2 (NRSV) STORY Hal Holbrook was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1925. For most people, he probably is best recognized for his television and movie appearances; though, it is his desire to be best remembered for portraying Mark Twain in a solo stage performance that ran for six decades. Holbrook was a student majoring in theater at Denison University in Ohio, when his education was interrupted to serve in…

Baptism 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved;[d] with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:4-11 (NRSV) STORY Constantine the Great became the emperor of the Roman Empire in 306. At this time the fortunes of Rome were not as favorable as they once were. The empire was in decline and it was being threatened…

13 Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14 (NRSV)   STORY The Didache, which in Greek means “Teaching,” is also called the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles. It is the oldest surviving document that we have that outlines the theology and organizational structure of the church. It was composed by the Apostolic Fathers, who were the core Christian theologians of the…