January 29, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Wednesday, January 29.
I John 5:14 is one of my favorite scripture verses on the subject of prayer. You’ve heard it before - “This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” That’s from my favorite translation - the New International Version (NIV). But listen to how it sounds in the New Living Translation - “And we are confident that He hears us, whenever we ask for anything that pleases Him.” Anything that pleases Him!
January 28, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Tuesday, January 28.
Here’s our question for the day - Does God SING? Let’s search the Word. The Bible leaves no doubt that we, as children of God, are created to lift our voices to Him in praise. It mentions singing over 400 times, and in 50 verses God states it as a command.
Psalm 95:1 - Come, let us sing to the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation!
January 27, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, January 27.
If you’re over 60 years old, I’ll bet you remember where you were on July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. But, do you recall where you were on January 27, 1967? I do. On that day, the astronauts of Apollo 1 were killed as their capsule was engulfed in flames on the test pad. We knew, inherently, that space travel was dangerous. But no other astronauts had died before, and it was a shock to our nation.
Jamuary 24, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Friday, January 24.
On this day in 41 AD, a Roman emperor was assassinated. History has made him the “poster boy” for eccentric, evil Caesars. His great-grandfather was the first character mentioned in the Nativity story - “and it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus”. Augustus reigned for 40 years, his great-grandson only managed four. His name was Caligula.
January 23, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Thursday, January 23.
What’s your favorite scripture? Maybe you’ve got several - hard to pick just one. It’s kind of like having to choose a favorite hymn, out of all the ones you love. Here’s a Bible verse that I love - Psalm 33:3.
“Sing a new song to the Lord; play skillfully, and shout for joy”.
The psalmist says so much in just 13 words. A preacher could fill a month of Sundays with just this verse as a text. Here are a few thoughts.
January 22, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Wednesday, January 22.
My cat leads a busy and interesting life. There’s the two hours of eating and grooming. There’s the one hour of demanding to either go out or come in. And then there’s the 21 hours of deep sleep that she needs to build up the strength to do it all over again the next day.
January 21, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Tuesday, January 21.
It went down to 25 degrees last night at my house, in Tenaha, Texas. Chilly! But it was nothing like the cold weather in Washington D.C. on January 21, 1985, when the windchill was -25, and Ronald Reagan was sworn in for his second term as President of the United States. On that day, just like yesterday, the inauguration had to be brought inside, inside the Capitol Rotunda.
January 20, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Monday, January 20.
On this Inauguration Day, I celebrate eloquence and the power of words. President Thomas Jefferson was eloquent, as was Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. The power of their words continues to stir our hearts and inspire our minds. And on this MLK Day, I share these thoughts, from a man who never held public office, but who most certainly had a way with words.
*Faith is taking the first step, even when you can’t see the whole staircase.
January 17, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Friday, January 17.
I grew up in a family that loved to play games - Monopoly, Dominoes, 42, an odd French card game called Mille Borne. But our all-time favorite was Scrabble. Over 150 million sets have been sold. One third of American families have one in their house. You can buy it on over 30 languages. And on this date in 1955, Mattel introduced Scrabble to the world.
January 16, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Thursday, January 16.
Most of you reading this devotion have lived in two centuries. That’s a special gift, when you stop and think about it. My father lived a long life, 82 years, but all of it was in one century. The woman we focus on today had the rare experience of living in three centuries. Imagine that! She was born January 16, 1898 and died at the age of 104 in 2002.