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  Listen to today’s devotional Spilling Hope October 20, 2026 Romans 15:13 One of my nieces asked me if I knew Romans 15:13. I couldn’t call it to mind at the moment, so I asked her, "In the Greek?" I'm kidding, but have you noticed that when some people don't have an answer, they just make the question harder? My niece reminded me of this blessing: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Oh. That one. Maybe I needed to hear it. In English. I've used that as a benediction many times. Of course I know it. But is it still with me? The apostle Paul prays for a hope that fills us so fully that it begins spilling into the lives around us. Some people come in and spill all the latest news. They spill the beans about what's going on. Some spill their frustrations. Oh, but what joy to be around someone who spills a little hope. Paul prays that we will overf...

  Listen to today’s devotional Daniel 3:16-18 I haven't met too many Christians who say they don't want to trust God. They do want to. And they often do. Many of them might appreciate knowing how everything turns out first. Preferably in writing. And many more probably want an ending where they're healthy and don't have to keep praying over their bank account. That's part of what makes this familiar story in Daniel so meaningful. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are brought before the king who has made worship a form of national loyalty. Bow before his golden image or burn in his furnace. No matter the king's threat, the three God-fearing men believe God can deliver them. What's meaningful to me is that their faithfulness doesn't depend on whether God will deliver them. “Even if,” they say, God does not rescue them, they will not worship the king’s idol. Let's reflect on that today. These three men have no promise that their obedience will spare their...

  Listen to today’s devotional Faith That Acts October 16, 2026 James 2:14-18 If you've ever walked into a room and forgotten what you went in for, this is for you. Most of us have had that experience. If not, just you wait! When it happens, you try to retrace your steps. You look around or go back to where you started to see if you can remember. Well, I want to offer to you that there are days when faith feels like that, too. We can get caught up in whatever's happening around us, and we begin reacting in ways that leave us wondering how we got here. Romans tells us that baptism joins us to Christ’s death and resurrection. We are buried with him so that we might walk in newness of life. Walk. That word makes baptism an ordinary movement of a day. Our baptism walks into our conversations, our decisions, and our opportunities. Remembering baptism brings us back to the grace that gives life its direction. We belong to Christ. So, his life is shaping ours. With God's grace, yo...

  Listen to today’s devotional Remember Your Baptism October 15, 2026 Romans 6:3-4 If you've ever walked into a room and forgotten what you went in for, this is for you. Most of us have had that experience. If not, just you wait! When it happens, you try to retrace your steps. You look around or go back to where you started to see if you can remember. Well, I want to offer to you that there are days when faith feels like that, too. We can get caught up in whatever's happening around us, and we begin reacting in ways that leave us wondering how we got here. Romans tells us that baptism joins us to Christ’s death and resurrection. We are buried with him so that we might walk in newness of life. Walk. That word makes baptism an ordinary movement of a day. Our baptism walks into our conversations, our decisions, and our opportunities. Remembering baptism brings us back to the grace that gives life its direction. We belong to Christ. So, his life is shaping ours. With God's grac...

  Listen to today’s devotional Acts 2:1-4 I’ve had some pretty good conversations with people who weren’t there. Don't worry. I'm talking about the thing we all probably do. I’m driving or doing something around the house, practicing what I want to say. In my mind, I know I’ve made my point beautifully. It'll be something everyone understands and will be better for. Then I see the person or get to the meeting and don't get past the small talk. It’s one thing to know what you want to say. It’s another thing to say it when someone is standing in front of you. Especially when you care about them and aren’t sure how the conversation will go. In Acts 2, the disciples are together when the Holy Spirit comes. There’s a sound like a violent wind, something like tongues of fire, and people speaking in languages they hadn’t learned. The Spirit enables them to speak, and people from different places hear about God’s deeds of power in their own languages. It's that last part th...

  Listen to today’s devotional John 14:12-14 I appreciate it when someone says, “You can do this!" Still, there have been times when I was sure they had confused me with someone else. Some people seem better suited to do certain things. Confidence and experience come into play for people. But then we hear Jesus tell his disciples that those who believe in him will do his works, and even greater works, because he is going to the Father. Greater? If I were there, I imagine I would look around the room to see who Jesus was talking about. These are ordinary people around Jesus?. They misunderstand him. They argue. Their courage comes and goes. Still, Jesus entrusts them with continuing his work. Now, I wonder if we confuse the word “greater” with something impressive. In other words, bigger crowds or bigger platforms. But Jesus connects this promise to his going to the Father. So, their future depends on his continuing work, and their prayers serve the Father’s glory. Jesus isn't ...

  Listen to today’s devotional October 12, 2026 John 14:8-11 I can't shame Philip too much because I'm one of those people who have looked for my phone while holding it. And while I wish I could say that's happened only once, sometimes, I’m so busy looking for something that I miss what is already right in front of me. Philip asks Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” If you're just tuning in, that might sound like a reasonable request. Give us something unmistakable, Jesus. Something we can point to when faith gets hard. We all could use that! But Jesus answers by asking how Philip could have spent so much time with him and still not recognize him. Whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father. Philip wants a clearer picture of God, but Jesus asks him to look again at the person standing before him. Look at all the ways Jesus has revealed God’s character. Still, I understand Philip. Sometimes, I tell God I need things to be clearer while overl...