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  Revelation 11:15-18 Listen to today’s devotional How many of us grew up not being allowed to leave the table until we finished our vegetables? We scrapped the rule altogether at our house because I appreciated that someone suggested it was an unnecessary power play. The whole interaction was less about better nutrition and more about control. And that tracks. Parents raise their voices and lose their cool. Kids dig in their heels. The table becomes more of a standoff than a sit-down. And everyone leaves frustrated because there's nothing like dinner-time rage. Now, that got me thinking about something deeper. Rage has a way of showing up when our control starts slipping away. Of course, not just at the dinner table. For a few weeks, I've been reflecting on the question in Psalm 2: Why do the nations rage? It's an ancient question that feels way too current. History is full of it, and history is rhyming again. When we see it, we can diagnose the surface problems as greed, ...

  Psalm 146 Listen to today’s devotional "Kings and kingdoms will all pass away..." I love that line from that old familiar hymn. It's a beautiful way to sing that all the kingdoms of history have an expiration date. Even the ones we know and live in today. I heard once that if you believe the empire can't fail, then the empire has a firm grip on you. The psalmist of Psalm 146 also sees that all the plans of every kingdom perish when they're gone. Everything they worked for, fought for, and bragged about is gone. There were accomplishments and embarrassments, strengths and moral failings behind all those plans. Still, they are all gone. The writer compares the bound efforts of all the kingdoms of the world to God's reign, which is forever. So, as people of God, we get to choose. Which kingdom will we honor and trust? Now, let's be honest, it's easy to trust what feels powerful. For example, we live in the most dominant, militarily equipped country the ...

  Matthew 13:31–32 Listen to today's devotional This past Sunday was a busy one. I wasn't home for much of the day. Even in the evening, I had some things that I needed to get done. Before that, though, I took a little time to watch a bit of NFL football. Usually, I don't listen to the commentators, but I'm glad I had the volume up this time. A statistic that one commentator shared caught my attention. In the last five years, the player who has scored the most points might surprise you. It's not a highly-rated quarterback or wide receiver. It's not a powerful running back. I would've guessed it'd be one of those guys, since they score touchdowns every week to win games. But the highest scorer in the league is a kicker, someone who kicks field goals and extra points. That got me thinking about how the little things matter. Praying every day may not seem like much to you. Your Bible reading sometimes feels like it doesn't add up to much. Even the thing...

  Acts 8:18-24 There's kingdom work. And there's church work. When those two combine, faithful and fruitful ministry grows. To be sure, though, you can have one without the other. Everyone knows the modern church is experiencing a dilemma. Communities around our local churches have changed in ways we didn't prepare for. At speeds we tried to ignore. The larger culture has moved away from the church at its center. That has impacted church attendance, church programming and everything else in between. Often, we talk about these changes and dilemmas in terms of loss. Indeed, time and circumstances have changed much in our lives, personal and communal. And that can hurt. That's a reason to appreciate scripture's notion of pruning. Maybe we aren't losing as much as God is pruning away. When God prunes, it's for our growth. So, now, as God's church, we find ourselves wondering what to do next. One thing we must be certain to do is learn to distinguish what is ...

  Luke 7:31-34 There's a difference between child-like faith and childish faith. Child-like faith is Jesus centered. This faith forms out of humility, wonder and trust. Childish faith is self centered. It's the image of a child pouting for what they want or because of what they didn't get. No matter our age, either faith is a choice we make. The years you accumulate in church do not automatically equate to holiness and discipleship. You decide what faith you will pursue and nurture. Jesus once addressed a crowd about the message they heard from John the Baptist. Parenthetically, Luke tells us even tax collectors "acknowledged the justice of God" (7:29). But the Pharisees and other religious teachers "rejected God's purpose for themselves"(7:30). Jesus responded by offering an illustration. What were the "people of this generation" like? They were like children playing in the marketplace. Now, they weren't having fun. Instead, they compl...

  Genesis 14: 17-24 If it weren't for the references in Hebrews 5, 6 & 7, most of us would not give much attention to Melchizedek. We'd just be glad it wasn't our turn to read scripture when his name came up. There are two Old Testament passages that mention the ancient priest-king. Psalm 110 first mentions his perpetual priesthood--whatever that means. Genesis 14 offers a brief interaction between Melchizedek, Abram and the king of Sodom. From this story, chances are, you may come away with more questions than answers about who he was. We do know what his name meant. Melchizedek means "king of righteousness." In this encounter we get a glimpse of the righteousness he upheld. He blessed Abram and gave God praise for Abram's important victory. Now, what do we know of the king of Sodom? For our reflection today, we only need to recall Sodom's reputation. Both kings have approached Abram after his defeat of an opposing king. Both have something to offer. ...