When I visited the Christian school where both my grandsons attend, I got to visit with the high school boys’ Bible teacher in his classroom. He is John Wetteland, best known as MVP in the 1996 World Series as closing pitcher for the Yankees, who pitched for the Rangers through 2000. He told my daughter […]
Archive | Devotionals
High Hopes – Hebrews 6:19
London floor-fitter Lefkos Hajji planned to propose to his sweetheart Leanne on March 14, 2008. He wanted to get the moment exactly right, but it went terribly wrong. He concealed a $12,000 ring in a helium balloon with a plan to give her a pin to pop the balloon as he popped the question. It […]
Location, Location, Location! – Matthew 7:24-27
You’ve heard the old real estate rule about location. The Selken family thought they had the ideal location for their home near Shirley, Arkansas. Tonya was very careful to choose the best two of her grandfather’s 210 acres, not just for the incredible scenery, but also for protection from tornadoes. During 60 years of property […]
Practical Christianity with a Capital P – James
The New Testament book of James is poignant. Convicting. Very, very practical! Only 5 short chapters with 108 verses, but it contains 54 imperatives, one for every 2 verses. Described as a series of pearls on a string, it does not flow with neat transitions, but it does encourage and challenge. For this devotional, I am […]
Acting on Acts – Acts 1-16
The fifth book of the New Testament does more than record the “Acts of the Apostles.” Luke’s spotlight really only shines on two of the apostles, Peter and Paul, but he focuses more on the Holy Spirit and His actions in the early church. A recent reading of the book brought several lessons to my […]
When is Amazing Grace Not Amazing? – 2 Corinthians 9:15
The NFL star that lost his shine, Michael Vick, was serving a 23-month prison sentence for bankrolling a dogfighting operation. He was once one of the highest paid players in the NFL as the Atlanta Falcons quarterback, but in July 2008 he filed for bankruptcy, claiming $16 million in assets and $20 million in debts. […]
Better to Lose One Part of Your Body? – Matthew 5:29-30; 18:8-9
I’m sure Sampson Parker never dreamed that his farming accident on Sept. 11, 2007, might be an illustration of a difficult teaching by Jesus. He was harvesting corn that day in Kershaw County, South Carolina, when stalks got stuck in a set of rollers in his old corn picker. He made the mistake of reaching […]
I Didn’t Have Time To Do It – Colossians 4:2, 5b
(Below is a devotional message written by one of our members. Ronn Bisbee is an attorney in Dana Point, California, whose primary area of expertise is child support. His email address is below the message, if you want to communicate directly with him. With these words, he challenges each one of us to make an […]
The Battle Belongs to the Lord – 2 Chronicles 20
R.C. Rivera joined CTLA in October 2006, one of only about a dozen members who are not attorneys. A former pastor, he was then owner/operator of Atlas Pro Serve & Associates, with a powerful testimony, which he shared with me over lunch. He was enthusiastic to be one of our 2007 seminar sponsors and gave me his […]