by Barry Creamer | Oct 12, 2022 | Devotionals
I wonder if Saturn will continue to evade me when I rise from bed just as Friday becomes Saturday. Changing my pajamas for outdoor clothes, I venture to the driveway where, weather permitting, I will set up my scope and camera. As I squeak open the gate, an uncollared...
by Daisy Reynolds | Oct 12, 2022
Given the choice between duty and authenticity, Barry talks about faithfulness less as the power to overcome our old nature and more as living authentically as the person we are going to be than the person we used to be. Book: Groundwork for the...
by Barry Creamer | Oct 5, 2022 | Devotionals
Let’s take a field trip to see the mercy of God. It’s a short journey. We are already perfectly situated at the bottom of the deepest gorge any of us have ever seen. Although we arrived here together, the rest of the experience is for each of us as an individual....
by Daisy Reynolds | Oct 5, 2022
Barry talks about the relationship between God’s faithfulness and our faith. Psalm 33 reminds us that miracles, deliverance, and the like are simply eruptions of God’s ongoing, underlying love and interaction with the world. Scriptures: Psalm 33...
by Barry Creamer | Sep 28, 2022 | Devotionals
In our superstition, washing a car breaks a drought, commenting aloud on good luck (without knocking on wood) brings bad, and refusing to shave extends a win streak. As technology and conspiracy replace superstition, we believe our whispered thoughts reach the king’s...
by Daisy Reynolds | Sep 28, 2022
God knows how hard it is for us to hear what we need to acknowledge in order to change, which is why Jesus used the phrase “Let these words sink into your ears.” Barry talks about how challenging hearing can be for us, methods people use to be heard, and the lengths...
by Daisy Reynolds | Sep 21, 2022
Just as our Messiah did, we are to care for others even at our own expense. Barry talks about altruism, some of the hurdles it faces, why it is so important for the world, and what it should mean for believers. Scriptures: Matt 26:39 Romans 5:6-8...
by Barry Creamer | Sep 21, 2022 | Devotionals
Mowing a strip of grass beside the alley behind my house, I nudge against a low, dead stump. The fungus I did not formerly notice erupts, producing a shockingly dense plume of ashen spores. The release continues for several seconds, a gentle breeze wafting the cloud...
by Barry Creamer | Sep 14, 2022 | Devotionals
I spend Sunday morning this weekend at a church I have never previously served a couple of hours east of Dallas. As is to be expected for a first worship time together, all is well. After lingering in conversation with some congregants and church leadership, I pile...
by Daisy Reynolds | Sep 14, 2022
What do drooling on one’s beard and finding victory through praise have to do with one another, you may ask? Barry talks about the background of Psalm 34 and the elements that lead to heartfelt praise: Praise rises when need becomes faith, faith becomes hope, and hope...
