Devotionals

For years my son and I have had season tickets to a local university’s football program.  “Avid” is an insufficient representation of our level of support for the team.  Frankly, we’re obnoxious.  Next to my son is a seat occupied by his co-worker, and fellow football zealot.  Last week we attended one of the most significant games in years.  The opponent was higher ranked and stood between us and [...]

A British journalist claims to have originated the phrase “virtue signaling” in 2015.  It is a way of expressing an opinion, often on social media, that aligns with some modern moral crusade without actually doing anything concrete to support it.  Someone may add a symbol to their post to show their solidarity with a movement without having given a single dollar to help.  Another [...]

Listening well is a skill that’s easily taken for granted.  You hear things all day long, but it doesn’t mean you’re listening.  Husbands are frequently, often accurately, accused of failing to listen to their wives.  Students figure out how to pay just enough attention to respond to questioning teachers and parents of four-year-olds perfect the ability to reply with uncommitted “uh-huh’s” all day long.  [...]

Outside of suffering deep, personal hardship, it seems that the doctrine of God’s sovereignty never undergoes more scrutiny than it does during election season.  Never are more exasperated why’s asked, dismayed how is it possible’s sighed or unnerved laments of can it get any worse voiced.  Election campaigns give evil a position of prominence.  Ephesians 5 describes the “shameful” acts that take place in the dark, yet we watch them get shamelessly [...]

A few days ago I returned from North Carolina where I got a firsthand look at some of the damage caused by Hurricane Helene.  Rapids destroyed concrete bridges, caused mudslides and rerouted rivers.  Cavernous sinkholes were left behind, water towers dropped and roadways wiped off the map.  The most impactful part of my time there were the stories of the survivors.  There were horror stories to be sure—one [...]

Few things are more maddening than to see a bad guy get ahead.  It’s so effective at igniting emotion that Hollywood regularly uses it as the primary point of conflict in movie plots.  The “can you believe” question always evokes a response.  In the Bible, Job experienced this when he questioned God, “Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in [...]