1976 A Living Sacrifice

Romans 12:1, “I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” What does it look like to offer yourself as a living sacrifice […]

Romans 11:33, “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” I will never understand God, but I can forever be in awe and wonder of him. His thoughts are above my thoughts and his ways are higher than my ways. […]

Today, the sun came up. It met the horizon and it rose above it. That has happened every single day of our lives, so somewhere along the way we stopped being impressed by it. But the fact still remains, every morning the sun races at us from the east at over 1,000 miles per hour […]

Yesterday was a nostalgic kind of day for me. 15 years ago yesterday we hosted our very first gathering and called it a retreat. It was the most unimpressive, duct taped together event you’ve ever seen, in the basement of Joplin, MO city hall. Looking back it’s almost embarrassing … But it was the beginning. […]

There are many names of Jesus, but there is only one name we call him that saves our soul. Do you know that name? He’s not just our friend, he’s not just the lamb, he’s not just our teacher, he’s not just the Prince of Peace or the Bread of Life. He’s our LORD. When […]

How bothered are you right now? How upset, torn up, worried and overwhelmed do life’s circumstances have you? And why is it we feel almost obligated to appear miserable when we’re going through these hard things? Like it’s wrong to be okay when things aren’t okay. We can’t be happy when the reality isn’t all […]

There’s an undeserved grace in the offering for you today. Even though you don’t deserve it, God wants to bless you. That’s what grace is, and there’s an overflowing of grace, but you have to choose to get in it. Imagine you’re on a hike and there’s a waterfall. You can choose to get in […]

Is there something in your life that has fallen apart and appears hopeless today? Something seemingly broken beyond repair only serving as a painful reminder of dreams left unfulfilled? Maybe that broken thing in your life is you. You feel broken. You have fallen apart. You’re nothing like you used to be, having lost who […]

Enjoy today’s unscripted devotional with these scriptures: Philippians 3:14, “Do everything without complaining and arguing.” MSG, “Be a breath of fresh air.” AMP, “Do everything without questioning the providence of God.” Numbers 11: 1, “Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the Lord heard everything they said. Then the Lord’s anger blazed.” […]

On the island of Marathon in the Florida Keys, there’s a young man in his mid 20’s who gives the best pedicures. He’s friendly and always wants to talk … like a lot. I know all about his struggles with alcohol in the past and his boredom with a life of sobriety. I know he […]