Looking for an earlier Watchword?
- I Have Seen the Lord - I Have Seen the Lord: It was a singular encounter. the sin purged Mary at first thought she was speaking to the gardener, but then, he spoke her name and as she walked away, she realized, that was the Lord! I have seen the Lord! There’s a moment for all of us who have moved from the grey-ness of earthly life into the excitement, peace and joy of life lived with Christ. We’ve called it born again, or simply accepting Christ, as Lord and Savior of our lives. Whatever, it's a God moment, a transition, even a resurrection. Continue reading
- Foundation of a Devotional - Foundation of a Devotional: Six years ago, this October, my first faith-based novel, A Life for Barabbas, was published by TouchPoint Publications. It was a true odyssey for me of blessed research into sacred and ancient writings and a recognition of God’s graces through inspiration and discoveries. I'm not a theologian, I'm a psychologist and a Christian, so I was both breaking new ground and verifying deeper held belief. The research had taken me into the writings of scholarly theologians, and multiple commentaries, books about first century Jerusalem. I was introduced to the Apocrypha, which, at the start, I couldn’t spell, let alone know what it was. I pray that this 'different kind of devotional' gives you cause to consider more deeply, as you read God's Word. Continue reading
- Undercover Christian? - Undercover Christian: Ever soft-peddle your faith? You know, you are asked to say grace and you revert back to a familiar children's prayer, like "Johnny Appleseed" or perhaps "God is great and God is good and we thank him for our food", rather than letting your faith take the lead and you pray your heart? After all, who would know? Or how about this: When is your Spiritual Birthday? We all have one, you know. That day, some know as the time they were ‘born again’, the day we know, with conviction, that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. Would anyone know? Who are you showing your are in your world? Continue reading
- Cutting Out the Middleman - Cutting Out the Middleman: Martin Luther had a war with the Roman Catholic Church on several different fronts. They certainly didn’t like much of the Reformation, they had apoplexy over the fact but he was translating Holy Writ into German and having it published. Martin Luther cut out the middlemen, the Latin scripture, the priests to read and interpret the Word. That is what Jesus did through the Resurrection and the in-filling of the Holy Spirit! He opened the door for us to approach the Heavenly Father. Continue reading
- Between Here and There - Between Here and There: Years ago, at the Nashville Story Conference, the theme was “Between No Longer and Not Yet.” I did a little digging and there’s a Latin word, ‘Liminal’, which means threshold, the place of entering or beginning. It’s the place of transition between what was and what is next. In John 16, Jesus is preparing his disciples for what will be coming – His trial and crucifixion, followed by the Resurrection. He is trying to fix in their minds the fact that he would be killed, and would later rise from the dead and they would see him again.We are no different than those disciples. We embrace Jesus Christ in faith alone, trusting the promises that have been laid before us. In essence, we are on that road to Capernaum, on the strength of the promises Continue reading
- Courage of Stephen - Who Was Stephen? We know a little about Stephen, but we don’t know a lot. We know he was the first martyr, stoned to death allegedly for blasphemy. That occurred about three years after the Resurrection when the popularity, and controversy, surrounding Jesus as Messiah was gathering momentum. We know he was not one of the Twelve. They brought Stephen before the Sanhedrin, and it is before this body that Stephen launched into an exceedingly long sermon on the history of Israel, pointing out the errors in which the Jewish hierarchy were preaching. That did it! Continue reading
- Inspiration - Inspiration: This meditation is about those times when God has spoken to you, and me, during those special times when you meet with God. Those times when we read the Bible, devotionals, meditate and pray. In the midst of that time, do we pause and in our silence, God speaks to us through the Spirit from His Word, through the devotionals He inspired, and in our silence. Oh, yes, the voices are always there. God nudges us outside of our being that seems to move us where we never thought we would go. Continue reading
- Romance and Adventure - Romance and Adventure: To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement, said Saint Augustine. Are you in love with God? How is that expressed? Saint Augustine says it’s the greatest romance. Romance? I don’t have a lot of experience in that category, but I am in love, even though she is no longer with me, for the Lord has assured me that Love never dies. Continue reading
- I Do Not Know Him! - I Do Not Know Him! Have you ever found yourself in the mindset of Peter, and, in effect, denying Jesus, your Lord? The opportunity for you to respond in love was there, and you passed by on the other side. Maybe you had a little pinch of guilt as you moved on. That was the cock crowing! What about the woman with the sign at the intersection “I need food for my child” and you tried not to lock eyes with her, and you drove away, thinking it’s a scam. Ouch! There is that pinch, again. Continue reading
- Clean Plate Club - Clean Plate Club: No one can deny the fact that we need food, substance to maintain our health, our stamina, and even our ability to think and reason. We love food; even to the point of having our favorite restaurant, our favorite item on the menu, and our willingness to drive miles to be able to dine on that favorite. But Jesus reminds us that we need more than food for mental and physical health. We could have all the food available in the world and never go hungry from a physical standpoint, yet this body of ours is an empty shell well fed by world standards, yet empty and lifeless. Continue reading
- The Power Source - The Power Source: Ever consider yourself a power source? Well, you are. So am I. First thing in the morning, I reach over and turn on my lamp and there is light. I did not say, “Let there be light”, as my creator-God did. I start my Keurig and make coffee, and I don’t celebrate, “Hey, look what I did! See what I created!” No, not that kind of power. I’m talking about the power, or the energy for the Christian life and where that comes from. One of the most important commandments that Jesus left us with before he was taken up to heaven is contained in the first chapter of the book of acts. Continue reading
- High Dive - High Dive: The father stood on the high dive platform at the crowded public swimming pool. His young son sat on the edge of the pool, staring admiringly at his father. His eyes widened as his father waved, and then launched himself into what he hoped would be a wonderful dive to impress his son. Somewhere between the platform and the water all went wrong, and he hit the water with a mighty belly-flop that echoed across the pool. A blessing? I believe inspiration is communication from the Lord. I believe the Lord speaks to each of us in many ways, languages, actions, and, yes, those unexpected things that happen to us, even from a high dive. Continue reading
- Are You Sin-free? - Are You Sin-Free? Seriously, have you stopped sinning? I mean all of it; thought, word and deed? Sins of omission and commission? So now you are pure, pure as the driven snow? Really? Self-declared sin-free. Interesting. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, and a member of the Sanhedrin, goes to Jesus, not so much to test him, but to get an answer to his own questions about eternal life. In this exchange, the Pharisee comes away with a dilemma, a conflict that will take him to Calvary where he, along with Joseph of Arimathea, already a secret follower of Jesus, will, in grief, reverently claim the body of Jesus for burial. Two Pharisees in the process of being born again. Continue reading
- Alzheimers and the Invisible God - Alzheimer’s and the Invisible God: I started this meditation after I was given a story about a loved one who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. The loved one was 62, and she had passed away just three years later. It is a sad and often repeated story, but one of love and the strength of the caregiver. I don’t think anyone can research this topic without wondering if any of these symptoms are showing up in their own everyday life or in the life of a lived one. Alzheimer’s is such a cruel disease, taking away common thought processes, behavior, and memory. The story of that woman underscores the truth that God's love is eternal, unaffected by what happens to our earthbound bodies. Continue reading
- Shirts vs. Skins? - Shirts vs. Skins? Have you ever been caught-up in the political political maelstrom, a nonsensical, go nowhere, political struggle that shed more heat than light? There is much in the political landscape to cause serious concerns for the believer, the follower of Christ. What is our position on this and that and the other thing? Maybe the better question is, why do we tend to take that malarkey so seriously? Continue reading
- We Are Perfect - We Are Perfect: Van Gogh was hardly a perfect person. He had many flaws in his interaction with others, in his war with himself, and his own declaration that he was a ‘failure’. But he was not a failure, he was, in fact, perfect for the purpose God had for his life. God created this man and this man created masterpieces that we, in turn, admire, are immersed in, and, the result is a spiritual experience. We, too, are perfect. We have been fashioned out of dust, been made in the perfect image for God’s purpose for our life. Each one of us is different. It goes far beyond fingerprints, gender, race, temperament, intelligence through a long a long list of differences, and yet each one of us is perfect for the purpose for which God has called us. What is that purpose? Continue reading
- Invisible Spiritual Presence - Invisible Spiritual Presence: Some time ago, in an issue of The Evangel, a publication of the Association of Lutheran Churches, I read an article by James Hoefer, entitled The Invisible Enemy. Our thoughts may flip back six years to Covid and how the pandemic had upended our lives and created a time of isolation in our usually socialized existence. It would be hard to argue about that. In his article, Dr. Hoefer speaks of the power of darkness. He makes this statement: “A deeper dive into the Biblical portrayal of darkness brings some surprises! There we find that everything we see in the visible, physical realm is caused, provoked, or at least influenced by something in the invisible, spiritual realm.” You may say, Spirits? Humbug! Everything can be answered with science or our five senses. Continue reading
- What Are You Waiting For? - What Are You Waiting For? That was the question posed by Pastor Poh Fang Chia in a recent Our Daily Bread devotional which caused me to think, what am I waiting for from God? Direction? Peace? Inspiration? Healing? What? Are we waiting for something that builds us up personally? Or are we waiting for something that touches the lives of others, loved ones, family members, victims of violence or natural disasters? Maybe you prayed for each of them, and that is what you are waiting, results? Continue reading
- Patience, Prudence - Patience, Prudence: I stood at the counter while a somewhat frustrated staff member processed my credit card to pay for my copay at the doctor’s office. Her comment was that the system had been slow all day and it was “maddening”, her word.I’m not sure patience is in short supply so much as there seem to be multiple opportunities to lose it.The Lord tells us to relax, not to worry. I suspect that in a dark mood of impatience, we may let “Help me Jesus”, slipped from our mind. We are called to go gently through the day, calmly leaning on Jesus, and enjoying his presence. Continue reading
- Love is an Absolute - Love is an Absolute: An absolute? Scripture tells us: Love endures through every circumstance; Love never dies. So, yes, it’s an absolute. I’m one of those romantics who believes that love never dies. Even death does not diminish it. Nor does it dim because of conflict. I also don’t believe that there are differing shades of love. I’ve never seen a movie where the protagonist might say, “My darling, my love for you is at 47% and I hope you feel the same". Although that does sound a bit silly, it has no power. Continue reading
