General Daily Devotionals

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 22, 2026 I received a letter last week. Someone spent $12 to make sure I received his letter. There was something to appreciate about someone’s willingness to take the extra step and spend the money to share his opinion that I am a horrible minister and sinful human being. And equally important, I am taking the congregation to hell with me. I won’t go into

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS December 26, 2025 How many of you remember shopping at a Ben Franklin store? I purchased many comic books at one located at a shopping center in Lincoln, NE. I was recently thinking about it when singing along with Bing Crosby on the song, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” The opening of the song is, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS November 22, 2025 This Sunday is Thanksgiving Sunday because the Sunday immediately after Thanksgiving is the first Sunday of Advent. The second part of that statement was sort of difficult to type as I don’t feel quite ready for the Advent Season to be here. The funny thing is, no matter how much I feel ‘not ready’ for Advent, it still shows up. Yet I can’t

In her book, Preaching God’s Grand Drama, Ahmi Lee writes, “It is not enough for the church to merely see the world in light of the gospel… [Instead,] God’s people must live as though the claims of the gospel are true.” I think she is absolutely correct in her assessment.

The basketball coach, John Wooden, said, “Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” Yet how often do we allow ourselves to be so overwhelmed with what we cannot do that we never actually get started with what we can do?

Prayer for the Week:
A Prayer for the Greater Houston Disciples of Christ

Gracious and Loving God,
You who gather us from many places and call us one body
We come before You with hearts full of gratitude and longing.

There is a short but wonderful quote attributed to Mother Teresa. It reads, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” I believe this to be true, in part, because I know the opposite is true. A few weeks ago, I had a parking pass for a garage. However, when I arrived at the gate, the QR code failed to scan.

On this day in 1989, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Rev. Allan Boesak led the single largest anti-Apartheid march in South African history. It would be known as the Cape Town Peace March, and it would be considered a turning point in the movement to end the racist and unjust policies of Apartheid.

At times, I have been guilty of trying to communicate what I believe by telling you what I’m against or what I oppose. In recent years, I have worked hard to correct it, but I know I have fallen into the unhelpful and unhealthy practice more than once.

Since I have full control over my Etchings, I can choose whatever comes to mind. While some may not agree, I am going to talk about my wife, who is having a birthday.