Archive | Devotionals

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

All of us who followed the story were touched by the suffering caused by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar on May 3, 2008. I had to look it up to get a fix on the location east of India and Bangladesh, south of China and west of Thailand. 1.5 million people were severely affected and estimates of […]

I’ve been surprised how many people have asked me to teach them how to pray. Actually, it’s an honor, I suppose, that they think I might know. His disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray and He gave them what we often call “The Lord’s Prayer.” (Luke 11:1-4) Many have memorized it and recited […]

Jim O’Neil was flying a small Cessna aircraft from Scotland to southeastern England in the fall of 2008. He was alone and flying at 5,500 feet, when, 40 minutes into his flight, he suddenly went blind. He initially believed he’d been dazzled by bright sunlight, but he soon realized something more serious had happened. Later […]

What have you done lately for your opponents? Have you prayed for them…to lose or to do something to hurt their own cause? Or, have you helped them in some way, perhaps even loved them by desiring what is best for them? Jesus set the bar extremely high when He said, “Love your enemies and […]