General Daily Devotionals

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 23, 2022David Kinnaman discusses his extensive research on those “outside” the Christian faith in his book “UnChristian.” He writes, “Deep down I hoped my intuition would be wrong about how negative the views of my generation were toward Christians. I was unprepared for how resistant, entrenched, and pessimistic the response would be” (p.222). Many Christians have known firsthand the negative opinions some people have held against

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 22, 2022In Matthew 10:38-39, Jesus said, “…and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” What does it mean to take up the cross when there is no longer a government sanctioned crucifixion? Dr. Amy-Jill Levine writes in her

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 21, 2022The class on Dr. Amy-Jill Levine’s book, Signs and Wonders, has continued to be a source of great delight (outside of a technology glitch on Tuesday). This week, we looked at the story of Jesus calming the storm (Mark 4). I think the go-to reading for most people is a sort of prayerful wish that God (Jesus) will calm the storms of life. But like

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 20, 2022One of our members, Bob Shook, shared some of his life story with the Men’s Group yesterday. A few of the men have taken 20-30 minutes to share some of the more impactful moments of their lives. It has been fascinating, while also reminding me of just how important our stories are. Even the sad or painful moments of life are part of who we

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 19, 2022It is attributed to Dolly Parton, and as far as I can find, it seems to be something she actually said – “I never quite understood why we have to let religion and politics and things like that stand in the way of just being good human beings.” I wish I could say she’s exaggerating or using hyperbole. But she is not. Why is it

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 18, 2022There are days when I wonder if there are more scriptures that leave me confused than those that leave me content. In Mark 11, Jesus encounters a fig tree. It says, Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, Jesus went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 17, 2022Prayer for the Week:Thy kingdom come… Do I say those words with any recognition of their meaning, their implication, the reverberation upon my life?Thy kingdom come… Is it a wish? A catch phrase? A holy vision?Thy kingdom come… Is it something I do? Something you finish? Something done in partnership?Thy kingdom come… What if I say those words without truly identifying how even a hint

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 16, 2022The movie, Veggietale: Madame Blueberry, is a story of a distraught blueberry who is not content with what she has. She has pictures on her wall of all her neighbor’s stuff that she covets. One day, a new megastore called Stuff-Mart moves in across the street. It glitters like a beacon of hope in her life. Some representatives of the store come by to confirm

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 15, 2022Funny moment – Yesterday, Donna and I were walking along the River Walk in San Antonio after a quick lunch. We were on our way back to the hotel in preparation for the activities of the Regional Assembly. Approaching us was a guy who sure looked like Mark Anderson, the President and CEO of the National Benevolent Association. I’ve only known Mark for 38 years,

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 14, 2022I, along with six other Cypress Creek folks, am in San Antonio for the Regional Assembly of the Christian Church in the Southwest. The gathering will include times of worship, study, fellowship and business. The theme for the event is: Reconnecting Community, and our Regional Minister, Rev. Dr. Andy Mangum, wrote in his welcome letter: “For me, Reconnecting Community in a time of such intense