My daughter loves animals and her family loves animals. When I visit, there’s usually a new rodent or rabbit to meet. Few were bought; most were found and rescued. Especially cherished by Tiffany is her rescued cat, Hemingway, who looks and acts like the cartoon Garfield. Hemi, as he is called, was declawed early in […]
Archive | Devotionals
Going Home – John 14:1-3
“Home” is the word that, for many of us, brings to mind wonderful memories. If you were blessed with a good family of origin, your home was the key place where you learned about love and security, discipline, sharing, forgiving and many other crucial parts of life. When you leave home, whether for a short […]
Turn The Other What? – Matthew 5:10-12,38-48
One of our members wrote, “If you have any devotional messages about turning the other cheek, I would really appreciate it. I’m praying for the strength and guidance not to sink to the level of the person whose actions are hurting me and not to take a wrong course in reaction. I realized how much […]
Jesus In Us Or In Them? – Colossians 1, Matthew 25
One of the most wonderful messages of the New Testament to all believers is that Christ lives in us. What has been called the “participatory language” of the apostle Paul can be found throughout his letters. He told the Colossians about “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). He prayed for the Ephesians […]
Anything’s Possible – Romans 5:3-5
Nick Santonastasso entered his drawing in a statewide contest in New Jersey on the theme of family values. His drawing showed a tree and above it were the words, “The roots of a family are…” Beneath the tree, the root system spelled out the final word of the message, “Love.” He won the contest and […]
Rejoicing in Prison – Philippians
I received so much positive response to my summary of the New Testament book of James that I decided to do the same for Philippians. Paul wrote it most likely from a prison in Rome, though some would argue Caesarea or Ephesus. The beginning of the Philippian church in Acts 16 includes a story about […]
God in Every Moment – Psalm 139
What I thought might be a real drudgery became a great blessing. My move from Dallas to Houston was stretched out over several months. I was commuting every Friday from Houston to Dallas to be with my wife and our little granddaughter we are raising fulltime. Then very early on Monday mornings, I drove back to Houston. I […]
Going the Extra Mile – Matthew 5:41
John Acuff, attorney and CTLA member in Tennessee, wrote recently about a friend named Tom selling a diesel pickup truck. I’m guessing lots of those are for sale these days. He advertised it in the paper. The buyer called and then came to see it on Saturday. He liked it enough to offer $250 less […]
Beyond Generosity – 2 Corinthians 8:9
Everson Walls arrived at the Dallas Cowboys’ training camp in 1981 as an undrafted rookie from Grambling, but he led the NFL in interceptions in 3 of his first 5 seasons. He picked off 57 passes and made the Pro Bowl 4 times over his 14-year career which later had him with the Giants and […]
Money Does NOT Make the Man – Romans 12:12
You have probably heard of Bernie Madoff and Allen Stanford as they are being accused of fraudulent financial schemes, involving billions of dollars. You know what the headlines have revealed about their luxurious lifestyles while deceiving many investors and their advisors into trusting them. What you probably haven’t heard is the story of one of […]