My Review for "The Story of Everything" documentary film

When Momentum Influencers Network (MIN) asked me to review “The Story of Everything” feature-length documentary film by Sypher Studios, I agreed because it sounded like a wonderful opportunity to explore how scientific findings can prove the existence of a divine Creator. We are not here by accident. Life has purpose. And we are not alone because the Creator (God) of all that exists is always with us. I also thought this film would be a good resource for people who doubt God exists and believe there’s no life after death.

But before I share my review with you, I’d like to share a few words from Momentum Influencers Network about this film:

After a successful nationwide theatrical run that sparked conversation across faith, science, and culture, “The Story of Everything” is now available to purchase on Amazon Prime Video!

Inspired by Stephen C. Meyer’s bestselling book Return of the God Hypothesis, the cinematic documentary invites audiences to explore one of humanity’s oldest—and most consequential—questions: Does the evidence point to a universe shaped solely by blind chance, or is there evidence of purpose and design?

Synopsis: “The Story of Everything” is a cinematic exploration of the cosmos that reveals the hidden hand behind our universe. From the precise laws that govern the stars to the intricate patterns found in every living cell, the film traces evidence of intentional design throughout nature. Whether examining distant star-forming clouds or the spiral structure of DNA, we discover a consistent signature woven into the fabric of existence.

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My Review for “The Story of Everything”

“The story of everything has purpose, that behind everything there is an author. The alternative is that none of that is true. We are the result of blind and impersonal processes that did not have us in mind.”

This quote (above) was mentioned toward the end of this feature-length film. But it holds the meaning of the film’s title. After hearing it, I knew that’s why this production was called “The Story of Everything”. It really shows how the core message of this film was to present two main schools of thought: Belief in a Creator of all things vs. Belief that we were created by nothing and our life has no real meaning. I think these are important points to explore as part of the human experience on Earth. As a believer, I’ll always point you to Jesus Christ. He is the Savior of humankind and the His divine light breaks through the darkness in our world. Like a popular Christian bumper sticker says: “Know Jesus, know peace. No Jesus, no peace!” I have found this saying to be true in my everyday life.

But Jesus Christ is a true gentleman. He’s not going to force you to believe in Him. He always gives humankind the freedom to choose who we will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).

If you are on a search for truth but don’t want to start with a Bible yet, start with this film then pick up The Holy Bible (you can buy a physical copy or read it via Bible Gateway online for free) and ask God’s Holy Spirit to help you understand the words you are reading. It is key to ask Him to teach you as you read because the Bible is understood through a spiritual lens, not a lens of doubt or a carnal mind.

Speaking of truth, this other quote was also mentioned in the film, “Sometimes the path toward the truth leads through beauty. And that is an important window. We need to be willing to open that.” Those words resonated with me because I never thought about my search for truth like that before. This film is filled with profound messages that will make you think and challenge you to decide what you believe.

On a lighter note: The set designs for most of this movie looks like it is from the 1970s. Many of the people who were interviewed or spoke on camera also were dressed in a way that looked like eras of the past. However the set design and clothing style did not take away from the points made in this movie.

If you have a scientific mindset or are curious to know how everything we see in space and experience on earth was created, then this movie is for you. Every detail is designed to make you think and ponder Biblical truth supported by science when it comes to the questions, “Is there a Creator of everything? Is God real?”

This movie might help you answer those questions.

Disclosure: Many thanks to Sypher Studios for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

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More information:

"The Story of Everything" is available for purchase on Prime Video via this link.

Church and Homeschool Resources:
https://www.thestoryofeverything.film/resources

#TheStoryOfEverythingMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork

Devotionals for the Heart: Sustenance

God is My Sustenance
A devotional by Dr. Jessica B. Turner

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”—Psalms 63:1 (NIV)

Have you ever found yourself so thirsty that it’s the only thing you can think about?

You try to press on with what you are doing but your mind keeps wandering back to the fact that you need water, and you need it now! Suddenly, all your energy has shifted towards meeting this basic need. And when you get to take that first sip, it gives life to you!

Now, I want you to think back to a time when you felt this same way about God and His presence. Did you address it with the same dedication, stopping everything else to seek His face? Are you struggling to even recall such an incident? If I am completely honest with myself, my answers aren’t what I would like them to be either.

The reality is I’m lucky if I even realize that it’s God that I’m lacking while going through my day. Instead, if I’m not careful, I will turn to things of this world to meet a need that was never meant to be filled by anything other than God’s presence. It’s why so many other things often leave me feeling even more unfulfilled than before.

We live in a world that promises happiness in all the wrong places. We turn to social media to seek approval from others, and to validate that we are loved. We rely on the latest trends to help us feel attractive. We follow all the advice of the “experts” in attempt to be good enough. Yet, we always end up where we started: lacking.

Until we open our eyes to what David is sharing in Psalms 63:1, we will never be satisfied. We must recognize that God is what our souls are longing for, and only God can quench such a thirst. But what if we don’t yearn for His presence as David did? I believe most people don’t, especially in the beginning.

As a new believer (or someone who isn’t quite sure what they believe), it can be scary to spend alone time with God. Some of us are still carrying shame associated with our past while others may be at a loss for words, not knowing what to say or do in His presence. Instead of doing everything in our power to seek God, we subconsciously avoid Him because we don’t see ourselves as worthy.

Let me tell you something! You are enough as you are, and God cannot wait to spend time with you! He was so intentional when He created you and me. Relationship with us was so important to Him that He made us with a space in our hearts that only He can fill, and until we realize that, we will wander through this life feeling incomplete.

Today, I want to encourage you to pursue God’s presence. Ask Him to ignite a fire within you that only He can satiate. Trust me, He will be delighted to answer such a request!

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for creating me in such a way that my soul longs for You. Reveal to me when I am turning to worldly things to satisfy this yearning. Expose the things that have become idols without my knowing. Bring me back to You as my one and only source of fulfillment. Help me to seek Your face as David did and fill me with Your spirit so I can go out and do the work of Your kingdom here on Earth. I love You and I trust You. In Jesus’s Name, I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Thirst for You” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Dr. Jessica B. Turner is a wife, mom, and LSU graduate with a degree in veterinary medicine.

After practicing small animal medicine for six years, she traded in her stethoscope to become an online wellness coach, motivational speaker, and writer with a passion for mental health advocacy. This major life change was sparked after Jessica struggled with postpartum depression soon after she birthed her twin girls.

Along with Jessica’s career change came the discovery of who Jesus Christ really is and how He was the missing piece for her to be able to move forward in past trauma that she had suppressed for decades. Jesus walked alongside Jessica as she underwent a transformation like none other.

God transformed Jessica’s life from a broken mom who struggled with depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and PTSD from witnessing an attempted suicide, to using her experiences to make her a powerful vessel for Him. To this day, God enables Jessica to touch the lives of others through her often unfiltered, yet inviting form of storytelling.

Throughout this process of refinement, Jessica has shared her life story with the world through her social media platforms, in-person events, blog posts, and podcasts. She values the gift of transparency and has discovered that what so many people need to know is that they are not alone. Jessica has walked in their shoes, and she wants the world to know that Jesus is walking with them as well.

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Connect with Jessica:
Website: www.jessicabturner.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicabturner/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicabturner/

Devotionals for the Heart: Loving God

How Knowing Yourself is a Way of Loving Yourself, and God
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

Have you ever gone so far in one direction you started to lose the path entirely?

After a perhaps predictably self-absorbed period in my teenage and young adult years, I found myself coming boldly before the Lord. Tired of all the self-centeredness of my youth, it was wildly liberating to focus on God, to focus on other people and their needs before my own. I found a joy and a peace I’d never before experienced.

Many of the scriptures talk about dying to the self, or decreasing so that God can increase in me (Ephesians 4:22-24, John 3:30, Galatians 2:20-21, 1 Corinthians 15:31).

This is a good thing, but sometimes we can do this to the extreme—push the self so far down that we barely know ourselves anymore. In one sense you could argue this is the perfect opportunity for the Holy Spirit to move through us and guide and direct our steps so we are serving the Lord perfectly and completely. But I don’t think losing ourselves entirely is God’s intention. Yes, it is very, very good to put God and others first before ourselves. But I’ve realized over the years that when we strive to lose ourself entirely, problems can set in. We forget who we are, and we actually open ourselves up to temptations in that forgetting.

I’ve always been a person who loves self-discovery quizzes. When I was a teen I’d read those tests in magazines titled something along the lines of, “Answer These Questions and We’ll Tell You Which Dog Breed You Are.” Later at work I’d take things like the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator and, more recently, the DISC assessment. It felt good to have some things explained to myself, to understand. I probably appreciated the label, too, to be able to say definitively, “This is who I am,” as if that were the answer to all my problems. (It wasn’t.)

But over the years I started to put these things aside. My kids’ and husband’s needs became far more important than mine. Eventually I found myself being so easygoing about almost everything that if somebody asked me what I wanted for dinner, I genuinely couldn’t tell them. In all the focus on others, I forgot some of my own likes and wants and even opinions.

Learning more about the Enneagram personality types has been interesting lately because it’s allowed me to stop and focus on things about myself again, things I hadn’t thought about in a while, such as what motivates me, why do I do some of the things I do, what shaped some of the values I hold dear, and so on.

In the particular book I’m reading, The Road Back to You, a Christianity-based Enneagram book by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile, the authors make an excellent point about how knowing yourself is so important in our journey as Christians because when we know ourselves well, we better understand what tempts us, what our weaknesses are. This can help us in our own sanctification process—our process of becoming more like Jesus Christ.

Knowing about ourselves can be a very good thing. It allows us to love ourselves and have deeper intimacy with ourselves, to understand some of the areas of our heart that perhaps we’ve long ignored. And when we can know and love ourselves fully, it’s also an act of love for God, because God loves us.

See, when we love what God loves, this is an act of kinship and solidarity. Denying ourself doesn’t mean disliking ourself. And I would argue that we have a tougher time denying ourself for the Lord when we don’t really know ourselves.

I have always been a bit of a loner with low self-esteem, as much as I adore people, and for many years I found it difficult to make friends. Eventually as I started to genuinely like myself and enjoy and appreciate who I am, I started enjoying my own company, and soon friendships with other people began to follow.

Similarly, I began growing extraordinarily close to God when I began to love myself and truly appreciate myself. I discovered important to love myself, care for myself, and honor myself along with God and others. Yes, I think it’s important to rank God first, others second, and self last when it comes to priorities. But we’re on that list too—we are important to the Lord.

In the words of the psalmist, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14 NIV). It’s good to remember this.

How about you? Do you find yourself focusing on yourself too much, or the reverse, hardly at all? Have you discovered a correlation between this and your relationship with God like I have? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Let’s Pray: Dear God, please help me remember that I am fearfully and wonderfully made by You, Creator and Master of all the universe. Help me to love and appreciate myself knowing that You love and appreciate me. In my own process of sanctification, help me not forget who I am along the way because I am important to You, and what is important to You should also be important to me. I love You, Lord, and thank You for the gift of my soul. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden.

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com.

Jessica has a weekly YouTube devotional and podcast. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: Why we should set our goals with God

Goals with God
A devotional by Cyndi Staudt

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” 

–Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

I love the feel of a new year.

It’s like a blank slate just waiting to be filled with hopes and dreams, experiences and adventures. Anything seems possible while the door closes on the previous year’s journey, no matter what happened along the way. Usually, I have a new planner waiting for my activities and experiences to be reported. I also have a crisp, clean journal inviting my stories to be written and my experiences to be chronicled.

During the week between Christmas and New Year I always set aside time to take an inventory of the year about to close—a “year in review” of sorts. I relive highlights of the year—happy times and hard times—as I observe all the ways God showed up along my journey. I find Him in the mountaintop moments where I experienced rich joy in His presence. I also encounter Him in the deepest valleys where I had to cling to Him for comfort so my grief would not consume me. This review reminds me that I serve a loving and faithful God who promises never to leave me nor forsake me. He is my constant companion.

My “year in review” also serves as the perfect launching pad to look at the “year in view” – the new year on the horizon. As I stand on the threshold of a new year, I sometimes feel like the Israelites when they sent out the scouts to the Promised Land. On one hand I am hopeful, anticipating great things from the God who assures me in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has good plans for me, plans not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future.

But on the other hand, I can feel the imposing presence of giants lurking in the shadows, a reminder of the adversary who is always looking for a way to devour me and distract me from what God has planned. I don’t allow my thoughts to linger there too long before I fix my mind on Jesus Christ who has already defeated the devil. Therefore, I begin to prayerfully pen plans and goals, dreams and expectations for the year ahead.

It’s exciting, albeit slightly daunting, to see on paper the many things I hope to accomplish in the coming months. I find peace in the reminder that while I make my plans, I serve a God who will order my steps into His perfect will for my tomorrows and for eternity. I can then step confidently into all He has for me.

While God invites us to review the past, He doesn’t want us to dwell in it. While He encourages us to set goals and pursue dreams for the future, He also reminds us to not worry about tomorrow. Those “steps” that God orders on the path to pursuing our plans happen in the present. The present is where we encounter God daily. He meets with us in the everyday moments of our lives, attending to every last detail. He desires daily, intimate relationship with us. Our spirit will thrive when we seek Him with greater intensity than we chase our dreams.

As much contemplating and planning as I do at the onset of a new year, when I come to the year in review, I'm always sure to see sweet little surprises my Savior gifted me with along the way. I try not to box God into my plans. Instead, I leave them open to His creativity along the way. He has unlimited resources and unexpected methods of making things happens for our good and His glory. And I don’t want to miss a single one.

Let’s Pray: Creator God, thank You for being my faithful guide and constant companion on my journey through life. I am so grateful You are accessible in my every moment, joining me in the joy on the mountain tops and accompanying me as I trudge through the valleys. I marvel at Your creativity as You unfold your plans and purpose for my life in surprising and unexpected ways. I appreciate Your patience and faithfulness as I stumble in the steps I take in efforts to walk in your will. I am grateful that Your gentle hand is ever present to pick me when I fall far from Your plans, and set me back on the path You've placed before me. While I prayerfully pen my plans for this new season, help me to stay out of Your way. Teach me how to surrender any expectations of outcomes to Your ways, Your will and Your timing. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

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Author Bio:

Cyndi Staudt is a Jesus-loving, adrenaline junkie devoted to living her life for Jesus until the day she is living with Him.

With a passion for cultivating a craving for God's Word, her devotions and Bible studies are saturated with faith and hope to stir your soul to connect with God in deeper, more intimate ways.

Through her writing she hopes to ignite your desire to read God’s Word, invite your heart to experience God’s love, and inspire you to live your life "souled out" to the One whose love has no limits.

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Connect with Cyndi on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/souledoutcyndi/

Devotionals for the Heart: Your Gifts

Your Gifts Have A Unique Purpose 
A devotional by Mirachelle Canada

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us . . .” 

– Romans 12:4-6 (NIV)

Can a hand function as a foot, or a foot as a hand?

Not effectively because each is uniquely designed for a reason. Though similar in the digits of fingers and toes, the vast differences between the two are in their design, structure, and purpose. The hand provides strength, power, and protection to the body. The foot provides support, balance, and mobility of the body.

In this same way, God created each of His children with a special purpose. To each one He establishes a unique destiny with gifts to match. Why then do we desire to change ourselves or our circumstances, ignoring our unique gifts? A choir member wishes to be the lead vocalist on the praise team. An usher wishes to be the deacon. The Sunday school teacher wishes to be the credentialed pastor. A youth pastor wishes to be the senior pastor. A band leader wishes to be the musical director, and so on.

These wishes are all a part of the proverbial “grass is always greener on the other side” mentality. Wishing to be other than you have been called or designed to be by God is the same as wanting to trade in your hand for your foot. If the position is not what He designed you for, then you won’t function properly within the body of Christ.

When we covet someone else’s gifting in the body, we are taking our eyes off the mark, which is in Jesus Christ. This type of sin will hinder us and our purpose. Hebrews 12:1-2 says that we are called to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (NIV, emphasis added). Don’t miss the enduring hope in that instruction! Jesus pioneered the way for us to fulfill our calling both faithfully and effectively. Rather than looking to someone else’s gift to fulfill your purpose, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, who knows your unique giftings and will champion them to completion within you.

In this festive holiday season, there are so many of our unique gifts that we can humbly offer to God for His purpose. More than anything else, let us be willing to be the extensions of His hands and His feet by offering to others His unending mercy and everlasting love.

Let’s Pray: Dear God, thank You for the unique gifts within me that You designed for your purpose. Help me to use my gifts as You intended them as I keep my eyes fixed on your Son, Jesus Christ, who died so that I can live in hope and victory. Show me how to be a part of the Body of Christ with a cheerful heart—whether hand or foot, arm, or leg. Thy will be done. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Reflection Question: What has God shown you is your unique gift in the Body of Christ? Tell us about it in the comments section!

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Author Bio:

Mirachelle Canada is a writer, playwright, screenwriter, and theatre director/producer from Northern Virginia, where she teaches television production at her high school alma mater. 

She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Script & Screenwriting from Regent University and is an alumnus of Act One: Hollywood Film & Television Writing Program.

Mirachelle is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, American Fiction Writers Virginia Chapter, The Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, and Your Novel Blueprint.

She is currently working on her first historical fiction novel set during WWII.

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Connect with Mirachelle:
Website: www.mirachellecanada.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirachellecanada/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/miracan

Devotionals for the Heart: Seasons

Loving Well in Changing Seasons
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end.”

—Lamentations 3:22 (NRSV)

Have you ever experienced a love that changes?

When I was a kid, I remember being struck by how my grandmother would take care of my mom sometimes, even though my mom was a grown woman and had kids of her own.

Now, this wasn’t the same kind of caregiving my mom did for me. After all, I was a child and couldn’t cook for myself or keep house, but it was visible in the little things—the way my Gram made sure my mom had gotten herself something to drink when she came over for dinner, or the way she made her sit down because she could tell my mom was stressed out.

Gram was a natural caregiver—she took in her own mom, my great-grandma, whom we called Bubba (honest truth!), until Bubba passed away. She took in my great-aunt Ethel until Aunt Ethel passed. She took in my cousin and her young son for a while, and she faithfully cared for my grandpa until he, too, passed on.

Then Gram was suddenly alone.

Somehow, my mom convinced Gram to sell the house she’d lived in since 1952 and move three states away to live in a mother-in-law suite at my mom’s house. That’s when things really began to change. Slowly Gram, always one of the smartest women I’ve ever known, began to slip mentally. She’d forget things, and eventually the decline quickened. Eventually my grandma was the one in the hospital bed, family gathered all around her, showing her love and saying their goodbyes.

Gram went from caregiver to being cared for herself.

I’m not there yet with my mom, who is active and vibrant and still very youthful, but I know things will one day change. Just like my mom once washed me and dressed me as a little girl, one day I’ll be doing the same thing for her. And my daughter will do the same for me.

One of the most profound things about love and the expression of love is the way that it changes. It is not stagnant but fluid, evolving to serve and grow in new and sometimes unexpected ways. The love itself does not change, but it appears to change, and the way it is expressed can change.

It reminds me a bit of the love God has for us, his people. God’s love is timeless.

We cannot box it in or even begin to define it, let alone comprehend its fullness. But we sometimes see it reflected in different ways depending on the stage of life we are in. Sometimes it feels like a close, personal love, a love that walks with you in every step. Other times it’s a tougher love. The kind of love that tests us to help us understand the big picture. God did not love Abraham any less when he asked him to sacrifice his son, Isaac (Genesis 22:1-18).

It likely broke Abraham’s heart to have to do what he did, take his son and lead him off to a presumed sacrifice. And God did not love Isaac any less either. God did what was hard to help Abraham understand a necessary fact—no matter how much love we have for our self or our children, nothing must be stronger than the love we have for our Heavenly Father. Nothing can stand in the way. That’s a hard lesson to learn, but God taught it in love and for a higher purpose. (And thankfully, Abraham passed the “test” and didn’t have to sacrifice Isaac after all.)

Throughout the Bible God is known by many names. He’s the same God—God Almighty, the Great I Am—but he has other special names that don’t detract or diminish his greatness or other names. These other names often express the type of love a person might be experiencing at that moment.

For example, God is known also as:

· Yahweh (Lord)

· Adonai (Master)

· Elohim (Creator)

· Abba (Father/Daddy)

· El Roi (The God who sees me)

· Jehovah Jireh (The Lord will provide)

· Jehovah Rapha (The God who heals)

· Jehovah Nissi (God as banner or protector)

· Jehovah Shalom (God of peace)

Right now, the name that is most appealing to me for God is El Roi, the God who sees me. It’s been a really hard season in my life, and while things are getting back on track, I’m often exhausted mentally and physically. But I know that God sees me right now, in the space I’m in. He understands, and he walks with me.

I love Lamentations 3:22, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end” (NRSV). The way we experience God’s love might change over the years and even over the course of a month, a week (or in my roller-coaster life, a day!). But God’s love is always the same perfect, inexplicable, steadfast gift.

As God’s people, our experience might be different, but it’s the same love.

And it’s up to us, God’s people, to model that beautiful love in the relationships we have with others. In 1 John 4:19, we’re reminded that we love because God first loved us.

Today, I hope you will think about the way you love others. Sometimes roles change, life changes, and our feelings change, whether that’s in a parent-child relationship, a husband-wife relationship, or a friendship. But that agape love remains.

Hold onto that truth, my friends. Just love.

Let’s Pray: Lord, Abba, El Roi, please help me to love people in my life well, whether I’m in a “good” period in life or not. Help my love to expand along with changing life situations and accept those changes with grace, peace, and compassion. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

*Note from Alexis: Jessica's devotional message today reminds me of the song "Seasons Change" by Crystal Lewis. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. 

 

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism.

Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com.

She has a weekly YouTube devotional and podcast. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: Religion

Religion and Our Modern Day
A devotional by Christa MacDonald

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” 

– James 1:26-27 (NIV)

I’ve written before how I love the book of James for its fire. It’s an exhortation more than a letter or as the kids say he’s “calling us out”. If this was a sermon, the preacher would be leaning over the pulpit, arms waving, in full voice. He’d be shaking the back pews with these words. In the verse above, his focus is on how we practice our religion.

Now, hearing the word ‘religion’ can make some of us wince. The world has soured on religion and the term has taken on some negative connotations. I don’t think this is because the world is any more sinful than it has ever been. I suspect it has to do with Christians (and others) behaving badly, while claiming faith. It’s also likely a shift in the modern mindset.

In a lot of ways, technological advancement has become a kind of religion itself. It doesn’t take a lot to put your faith in modern science and medicine. It doesn’t cost you anything, asks nothing from you. You can keep the parts you like and reject the rest. Faith in Jesus Christ, however, that takes work, it will cost you your life, so to speak. We die to self when we follow Christ.

In our modern times there’s an emphasis on self-expression and individuality. Being heard is a big deal. Sometimes, that’s a good thing. But as Christians, we need to be careful about what we express. We need to watch what we put out in the world. Essentially James is calling on us to ‘mind your business’, the Kingdom’s business.

Whether its traffic when you’re running late, an obnoxious coworker, a rude customer, a family member in crisis, or even a stranger spewing hate, we need to keep a grip on ourselves. We need to remember our purpose and focus our mind and bodies on the mission, not the moment. That can be a serious challenge in times like these when we are pressed from all sides.

However, now is when we need this control and focus the most. When we’re being distracted by culture, politics and fear, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus and our tongues in check.

Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, please give us the strength to love our enemies, friends, and neighbors in all circumstances. Make us instruments of your peace in a fallen world. Please help us to be salt and light, unpolluted by the world while active within it. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Christa MacDonald is a 2017 Carol Award finalist for contemporary Christian fiction. 

She began her writing career at the age of eleven, filling a sketchbook with poems and short stories. After publishing a few short pieces in her college’s literary magazine she took a long hiatus during which she embarked on a few different careers, got married, had three kids, and renovated an old barn masquerading as a house.

Her most recent work, The Redemption Road, finished the Sweet River Redemption series published by Mountain Brook Ink.

When not working or writing Christa can be found ferrying her kids around, reading, or attempting something crafty. She and her family live along the coast of New England.

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Connect with Christa:
Website: www.christamacdonald.com
Newsletter: https://christamacdonald.com/connect-with-christa/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1538432676468229/
Amazon: https://amzn.to/33uk329
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CricketMacD
Christa's book publisher: http://mountainbrookink.com/about-us/authors/christa-macdonald/

Devotionals for the Heart: Jesus Christ

Is Jesus Real?
A devotional by Wendy Wilson Spooner

“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

– Hebrews 11:6 (NLT)

There is absolute truth and there is relative truth.

What are each and how can we know the difference?

Absolute truth is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Just like God, it never changes. A good example is the sun rising in the east. Because even if we say all day long the sun rises in the west, it will still rise in the east. That is absolute truth. And it will not succumb to public opinion, polls, or popularity. It simply is.

Relative truth is subject to opinion. Such as, “That cat is ugly.” “No it’s not, it’s pretty.” Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, therefore, it is relative truth.

The existence of absolute truth is basic to Christianity.

Jesus Christ directly proclaimed the ultimate truth in John 14:6 (NLT). He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

Truth attains its foundation in God who is moral and personal. Paul declares in Romans 1 that God has revealed Himself through creation and individual conscience. God has also unveiled himself through the Bible, His distinctive disclosure.

What is the enemy of truth? 

Satan ("the devil") is the adversary. According to 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT), He is “our great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

The devil seeks to mislead by devouring truth and replacing it with deception and lies. We live in a time where good appears evil, and evil appears good. This is the work of the adversary and his minions.

If you have already embraced the truth that Jesus is real, you can count on the adversary seeking to spread seeds of doubt within you—if you let him. This can happen when you don’t understand a concept in the Bible, or someone at church offends you, or for numerous other reasons.

But the absolute truth is that in the end all our questions will be answered and all our wounds will be healed. It’s a beautiful truth that Jesus is real whether people believe He is or not. And I choose to believe.

When I was a teenager, I went through a season where I didn’t know if I believed or maybe I didn’t care if I believed? It’s hard for me to remember. But what I do remember is my unhappiness.

Once I fully embraced Jesus and his atonement for my sins, I was at peace. And happy again!

I’ve chosen this way of living and believing the rest of my life. And I’ve never looked back. Because it is absolute truth that the closer and more exactly I keep the commandments of God, the more I can feel his presence in my life … every single day! This is absolute truth for countless people today and is also countless people throughout time in the Bible.

God’s truth is absolute, signifying it is true without exception and it does not change. Beliefs change but truth itself is constant. God is the creator of absolute truth because He is everlasting and His character never changes.

And He will reward all who diligently seek him.

Let’s Pray: Father in Heaven, we know you and your son (Jesus Christ) are real. Bless us each day to choose Jesus in all we do, and to testify whenever moved upon by the Holy Spirit. Empty us of all doubt, but if it creeps in, bless us to fall to our knees in prayer instead of succumbing to the entrapments of the adversary. Bless us with daily commitment to stand for you and your son in all things and in all places no matter the cost. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Wendy Wilson Spooner, Lic. G., LCoT, is a professional Genetic Genealogist by day, a writer by night, and an artist in between.

Her love of what we can learn from history compels her to write the true stories she unearths during research, and she’s found that truth is indeed, much more exciting and inspiring than fiction.

Wendy writes about family, faith, grief, art, and overcoming obstacles in life by coming to know who we really are—children of God, and, the descendants of remarkable people who paved the way for us—even if they really struggled. She believes in learning from ancestors, honoring them, and then standing on their shoulders to become someone even better.

As an award-winning author of professional articles and poems, Wendy Wilson Spooner turned to novel writing to share what she knows with a greater audience. When she is not writing or researching, she currently serves as National Vice Chair for Daughters of the American Revolution over Art & Sculpture in the annual American Heritage contest. She also serves as Chairman of the Advisory board for Century Vital Records in Bengaluru, India.

Wendy loves to read, hike, paint, travel, binge on Bollywood movies, and spend time with her greatest loves—her family.

Her debut novel, Once Upon an Irish Summer, released April 3, 2020. It has been a best-seller in the several different genres. She’s looking forward to releasing book two in the series!

~*~
Connect with Wendy:
Website: https://wendywilsonspooner.com/
Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/3lpNZSY
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authorWendyWilsonSpooner/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wendy_W_Spooner
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyspooner/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-wilson-spooner-07741249/

Devotionals for the Heart: Worship

Everyday Worship
A devotional by Kay Pflueger

“… But the Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands, as the prophet says: Heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool. What sort of house will you build for me? says the Lord, or what will be my resting place?” 

–Acts 7:48-49 (CSB)

The word “sanctuary” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the most sacred part of a religious building” or “the room in which general worship services are held” or “a place (such as a church or a temple) for worship.” We may hear church sanctuaries referred to as “houses of worship” as that is where we expect to go to honor the Lord through song and prayer. But is that the only place where worship can take place?

When you think of worship, what setting comes to mind? Are you in a majestic cathedral with a massive pipe organ? Maybe you are in a little country church with wooden pews? Or are you standing in a homeless shelter serving soup to hungry families?

Worshipping the Lord is not confined to the four walls of a church building. It can happen as you are standing at the kitchen sink washing dirty dishes, or in the quiet of the night while feeding and soothing a hungry infant, or when hammering the shingles on the roof of a “Habitat for Humanity” project. According to Mark 10:45, we are called not to be served but to serve. This is not meant to be obligatory service but rather should be a deep-down-from-the-heart prayerful outreach.

What does this kind of worship look like? Envision it as embracing interruptions in our day when an opportunity to serve presents itself. See it as bravely praying God would send someone our way who we can share His love with. Picture it as asking Him to reveal opportunities to worship Him through service—service that helps us embrace the uncomfortable and not shy away from that call due to fear of the unknown. Believe that it is connecting to God in the whole of our daily life.

Worship is showing reverence and adoration for God. When we reach out to serve others, we are demonstrating our love for Him in a very tangible, practical way. In John 13, we read how Jesus modeled servant behavior by washing the dirty feet of His disciples. Note Jesus’s words in John 13:16-17 (CSB): “Truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

The idea of worshiping God throughout the week might feel somewhat intimidating as I suspect it is easier to think of worship as something we do for an hour a week within the four walls of our church buildings. But consider how we can honor God by the way we act among our families, friends, and co-workers—how we can worship Him through offering every action to Him. Billy Graham said: “The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless.” Let us praise God today by seeking out opportunities to serve others.

In closing, I’d like for you to listen to this song “Heart of Worship” by Hillsong United.

Let’s Pray: Help us, Father God, to find ways to worship you in our daily activities…from caring for our own families to reaching out to those in need. May we learn to worship you each moment of every day. Teach us to see our whole lives as one great worship service, in which we honor you through every word, every thought, every deed. Open our eyes to those in need of your love. Show us ways to serve in the same manner as Jesus served. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Learning to read as a young child opened a world of adventure for Kay Pflueger. She came to realize that words can have a unique power and beauty.  

Choosing to share those words in her devotional writings has become a joyful and rewarding experience for her. As a widow, she feels a special affinity towards those who are grieving or experiencing loss.

When she is not spending time with her married son and three grandchildren, she is either reading, cooking, writing, or working on pursuing her Copyediting Certification.

Kay is an avid baseball fan who looks forward every summer to following her favorite team, the Chicago Cubs. 

Kay is an active member of Victory Lutheran Church in her hometown of San Diego, California. 

She enjoys writing devotions to be shared on her church’s website and personal social media.

~*~
Connect with Kay:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kay.m.pflueger
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irishsweetpea/

Devotionals for the Heart: Butterflies and the resurrection of Jesus Christ

Holy Week
A devotional by Mirachelle Canada

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” –John 3:16 (ESV)

It’s Holy week! The week between Palm Sunday, the observance of when Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem on a donkey to the cheering crowds shouting, “Hosanna! Hosanna!” to Easter Sunday, the day of celebration and rejoicing that “Jesus is risen! He’s alive!”

During this week, Christians around the world take the opportunity to reflect on the events that led to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Among these events are the last supper, Jesus’s arrest, trial, and the crucifixion (Matthew 21-28; Mark 11-16; Luke 19-24; John 12-21). It is a week great in contrast: from public celebration to accusation, confusion, and ending with death.

As I personally reflect on these events and the life of Jesus, it reminds me of the life cycle of a butterfly. The day it is born, a very tiny caterpillar hatches from an egg. It is small and vulnerable as Jesus was – a baby born in a stable. As the caterpillar takes in nutrients, it grows its body mass thousands of times. Jesus grew up in wisdom and stature because he was about his Heavenly Father’s business, even teaching in the temple at age 11! As caterpillar grows, it changes in appearance. For thirty years, Jesus prepared and waited for the right time to be revealed as the son of God.

A caterpillar knows its purpose – to live, grow, effect life, and sacrifice its life to become something beautiful. Jesus also knew His purpose – to live, grow, point people to a life with God, and ultimately sacrifice himself for the remission of sins to show us the way to become something beautiful too.

On Good Friday, Jesus was crucified on the cross and buried in a tomb. All hope seemed lost. His disciples were hiding, and the enemy believed he had won. When a caterpillar becomes a chrysalis, it appears dead, wrapped in a cocoon. At this stage in its life cycle is the most dangerous because of weather, disease, and predators. By all accounts it appears dead, but the truth is that a transformation is occurring. So too did a transformation occur in the kingdom of Heaven as Jesus entered hell and took back the keys to death, hell, and the grave.

When a butterfly emerges from its cocoon, its wings are crumpled. It must hang its wings down and begin pumping them so they will fill with fluid and straighten out. It must wait until its wings are ready to fly. So too did Jesus, even after he had resurrected from the tomb, take time to prepare before revealing himself in all his glory. When Mary saw him at the tomb, he told her not to touch him because his time was not yet ready, but he sent her ahead to tell the others the good news (John 20:17).

So why is the life cycle of a butterfly important to the life and death of Jesus? To the world, butterflies are indicators of a healthy environment. They also show us the beauty and fragility of life. For the world, Jesus came to show us the unhealthy life of our souls without him. He showed the way to a better life here on earth and to one that would be eternal. He died so that we might live abundantly (John 10:10)!

So, as we reflect on this Holy Week, let us pay reverence to our risen Savior, His sacrifice, and rejoice in His victory, but also consider the beauty of His creation all around us that reflects His glory too. It’s purposeful, motivated, willing to sacrifice even unto death, but it’s also destined to become something more wonderful and beautiful than anyone can imagine.

Praise the Lord! He is Risen!

*Note from Alexis: Mirachelle’s devotional reminds me of the song “Hosanna” by Hillsong Worship. You can listen to it here.

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord, we thank you and honor you for your sacrifice on the cross. We rejoice in your resurrection power. We ask that you give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to receive the message of your glory reflected in all creation so that it may also be reflected in us. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Mirachelle Canada is a writer, playwright, screenwriter, and theatre director/producer from Northern Virginia, where she teaches television production at her high school alma mater. 

She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Script & Screenwriting from Regent University and is an alumnus of Act One: Hollywood Film & Television Writing Program.

Mirachelle is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, American Fiction Writers Virginia Chapter, The Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, and Your Novel Blueprint.

She is currently working on her first historical fiction novel set during WWII.

~*~
Connect with Mirachelle:
Website: www.mirachellecanada.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirachellecanada/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/miracan

Devotionals for the Heart: Reset

Global Reset
A devotional by Chaplain Paul Anderson

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” 

–Genesis 6:8 (NKJV)

Recently in my devotional moments, I was led to remember a global reset of biblical proportions.

You may be familiar with the story of Noah. It is found in Genesis chapters 6-8. An apocalyptic flood covered the earth and decimated the population. Noah and his family were quarantined within a floating ark of safety for one year and ten days. How did they survive? How did they prepare? How did they recover?

I have extracted six points of resiliency from this story that can be instructive to us as we weather the pandemic experiences of 2020 and beyond.

They are:

1. Proactive Spirituality

2. Prescriptive Preparation

3. Providential Provision

4. Perseverance

5. Buoyant Faith

6. Pioneering Resilience

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This means that Noah was known by God and Noah knew God. They had a conversational relationship. His relationship with the greatest of godly men, his father, grandfather and great grandfather would almost surely have brought him into the very real presence of God and an awareness of the character and desire of divinity.

When God chose him for the mission of global reset, Noah was 500 years old. He worked with proactive spirituality for 100 years to build a family and to complete construction of a vessel that had never existed for a contingency that had never happened. Yet, he persisted.

Proactive spirituality is what drives some to write books, start businesses, practice fidelity when distracting opportunities abound, even stay with seemingly errant spouses, believing that faithfulness matters and that a breakthrough is imminent.

Noah saw deeper and believed more fervently in the character of God than did those who for a time worked with him. He worked according to a supernatural pattern with craftsmen and suppliers who benefitted from the work as well as their exposure to Noah’s faith. Noah’s prescriptive preparation saved his family and could have saved many more, if only they had kept the faith.

For 100 years Noah lived and worked confidently under the providential provisions of God. They labored to harvest and store up food and materiel for the global reset that they expected. The biggest revelation of providential provision was when the animals came. Faith invested is always met with miraculous dividends. In this case, it was the arrival of unclean animals two by two and clean animals by seven.

Once Noah and family were secured in the ark they endured the 40 day storm. Then they drifted for 310 days. Even after they knew that they had been securely grounded, they had to wait another month or two before the land was dry enough to allow them to safely disembark.

Through it all, Noah and his family never lost their faith in God because they had evidence of His presence with them. Not idols, but memories. I also believe that there may have been some epiphanies during their cruise. Their faith did not languish nor expire. God was with them! That knowledge and confidence kept the ship afloat. Through it all, their faith and personalities remained buoyant.

The last element of their resiliency was the forward orientation. Many of us who are in quarantine, long for life as it was. Noah and his family came forth and created a new normal. Their reality was clear. Recovering the past was impossible. Forward was their only gear. So, they went and created a bold, new world.

In this new world, they initially carried forth the six points of resiliency. You can too. Our pandemic is far from over. The reset is still developing. Trust that God is with us in the midst of this upheaval. Make the best preparation that you can for yourself and family members. Expect and look for supernatural guidance and provision, even and especially during crisis moments.

Stay the course and don’t jettison your faith in God or jump overboard. Faith is your ark of safety. Persevere! As you do, your loads will feel lighter. Waves may crash into your world, but you will always spring back to the surface.

Do not try to bounce back. Rebound with a mission forward orientation. God will guide your feet and light your path. Be a pioneer and go boldly where no one before you has gone, or, follow the path of the faithful who have gone before you.

Wherever you go, know that God will never leave you nor forsake you. His grace will see you through whatever He has brought you to. If and when death assaults us, we believers will still be secure because not even death can separate us from the love of God.

~*~
Author Bio:

Chaplain Anderson served for 20 years as a U.S. Navy Chaplain. Over 26 years of active duty, he was promoted through the ranks from Seaman Apprentice (E2) to his final rank as Commander (O5) in the Chaplain’s Corps.

Prior to his Naval career, Chaplain Anderson pastored in the Allegheny East and Potomac Conferences of Seventh-day Adventists. His undergraduate preparation for ministry was completed at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Md.

He has subsequently earned four graduate degrees: a Master of Divinity from Andrews University in Michigan, a Master of Education in Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland and a Masters of Sacred Theology in Religion and Culture from Boston University. His Doctor of Ministry degree was conferred by Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Chaplain Anderson also completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also holds certifications in Suicide Awareness and Prevention, Civil Mediation, Alternative Workplace Dispute Resolution, Temperament Analysis, Marriage Enrichment, Workforce Diversity, and is a certified Life Coach.

You may connect with Chaplain Anderson via email at this address, psanderson75@gmail.com.

Devotionals for the Heart: Finding sacredness in the ordinary

Sacredness in the Ordinary
A devotional by Kay Pflueger

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

– Mark 8:36 (ESV)

When you think of the word ‘ordinary’, what comes to mind?

Dull? Unpolished? Rough-hewn? The Dictionary by Merriam-Webster defines “ordinary” as “of common quality, rank, or ability.” Using that definition, it seems odd to think of finding something sacred in what is seen as ordinary. After all, if something is sacred, it is regarded with great respect and reverence and is often set apart.

How can something be sacred and ordinary at the same time? The terms seem to be incongruous. We can look at Jesus for an answer to this question. He was an ordinary man, born to humble human people but, yet He was God incarnate. He came to Earth in human form but was still God. Ordinary but sacred.

I live what I consider an ordinary life because I do not have a fancy car or live in a mansion. As I write this, I am sitting at a desk that I have had since my high school days. It has its share of dings and chipped paint but when I think of all the journal entries or school papers I have written and the Bible studies I have done while sitting here, I find a sacredness in its shape and form. A simple rocking chair that has been in my husband’s family for generations sits in the corner of my living room. I wonder how many babies have been rocked to sleep in that chair. How many lullabies have been sung or prayers whispered while sitting in that humble space?

Something as simple as the common table prayer “Come Lord Jesus” is made sacred when we truly invite Him to join us as a guest for the meal. As we ask Him to bless our time together, we bring an air of reverence to that time of fellowship. Brother Lawrence—a 17th century monk—wrote the following in a book titled, The Practice of the Presence of God: “Our sanctification does not depend on changing our works but in doing that for God’s sake that which we commonly do for our own.”

By inviting Jesus Christ to be a part of our ordinary lives, what we are doing changes from what is mundane to that which is beautiful … from that which is ordinary to the extraordinary, and it even moves it from the temporal to the sacred. It creates harmony between what may seem dull and unpolished with what is seen as sacred and revered. I believe when we view something as being sacred, we are creating a bond with the Lord and are inviting Him into that space.

We have heard it said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Where do you find beauty? Do you find it in the compilation of things and wealth—or are you able to find sacredness in the ordinary? What seemingly simple things can you view as precious? Is it possibly a cool breeze wafting in through an open window which makes us think of the breath of God? The aroma of a freshly baked loaf of bread which reminds of God’s daily provision? Or maybe it is in the beauty of a song of praise to God the Father?

The verse in Mark reminds us that by putting our hope in temporal things, we risk losing our soul. What is to be gained by the accumulation of possessions? Worshiping wealth and prestige places a label on those things as sacred when in reality they are fleeting. Money and power can be lost in an instant but a relationship with the Lord is eternal.

I encourage you today to look around you for sacredness in the ordinary.

You may just find beauty and sacredness in what someone else may see as normal. The holiness of God can be found even in the most humble of things.

Let’s Pray: Dear God, Open our eyes to the wonder of Your holiness. Just as Your words in Psalm 37:4 remind us to take delight in you, help us to find delight in the sacredness of the ordinary. Let us feel your presence in the routines of our day-to-day lives. Encourage us to find beauty in the humble. In your son Jesus Christ's holy and precious name, we lift this prayer to you. Amen. 

~*~
Author Bio:

Learning to read as a young child opened a world of adventure for Kay Pflueger. She came to realize that words can have a unique power and beauty.

Choosing to share those words in her devotional writings has become a joyful and rewarding experience for her. As a widow, she feels a special affinity towards those who are grieving or experiencing loss.

When she is not spending time with her married son and three grandchildren, she is either reading, cooking, writing, or working on pursuing her Copyediting Certification.

Kay is an avid baseball fan who looks forward every summer to following her favorite team, the Chicago Cubs.

Kay is an active member of Victory Lutheran Church in her hometown of San Diego California.

She enjoys writing devotions to be shared on her church’s website and personal social media.

~*~
Connect with Kay:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kay.m.pflueger
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irishsweetpea/

Devotionals for the Heart: Why we need the love of God in our hearts

Where Is the Love?
A devotional by Angela Anderson

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 

–1 John 4:7-8 (NIV)

As I picked up my phone and scrolled through the news, my heart sank. The headlines read: “Man dead following shooting at apartment complex.” “Mother arrested after 1-month old baby thrown at father.” “Man threatened to kill family during home invasion.” “Over 800 hate groups operating in the United States.” One headline after the other, I skimmed each subheading and article wondering why these horrific events were so prevalent. How could people be so hateful?

When I was growing up, there was a song that used to play on one of my dad’s favorite radio stations. I can still hear Jackie DeShannon singing the tune to music composer Burt Bacharach’s song, “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” The lyrics often play in my mind: “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of...”

This sums it up: Love is the missing ingredient to the recipe of life.

One thing I have noticed in my lifetime is that there are a lot of people walking around this earth who are feeling unloved. Love is missing from their lives because they have not experienced or accepted love or, they do not love themselves. If you do not love yourself, you cannot possibly love others—at least not the way you are supposed to love others.

The Bible defines love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV): “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...”

Love is the answer! It is no wonder we hear of senseless killings, domestic violence, sexual abuse, abuse of power, acts of terrorism in all forms, political wars, and the list goes on. There is no representation of love in these acts, specifically the love previously mentioned. Fortunately, all hope is not lost.

There is a remedy for all of these societal ills. This remedy is presented in John 3:16-17 (NIV):

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

The love of God is so far-reaching! It’s life changing and it’s everlasting. It never fails!

God loves you. He wants nothing more than to save you. God wants to be part of you, to live inside of you, and show you how to love yourself so that you can love others. He sent a part of Himself, His Son Jesus Christ, to live among us and then die for us while we were yet sinners. It did not matter to him that he might be rejected. Even now, He still pursues us because He loves us that much. If you have not experienced this love, I urge you to give it a try. You have nothing to lose, but everything to gain. Jesus is waiting to enter your heart, but He can’t and He won’t unless you invite Him into your heart.

Let’s Pray: Dear God, may we recognize Your presence in our lives. For those of us who have already experienced Your love, I pray that we take the opportunity to renew our relationship with You daily. Then for those who have not received You into their hearts, I pray that they will make that decision so that they can experience You and the life that You have in store for them.

~*~
Author Bio:

Angela Anderson was born in Brooklyn, New York. She was raised in a Christian home in New Jersey. Angela dedicated her life to Christ and was baptized at the age of 12. 

As a child in elementary school, she developed a penchant for writing book reports and entering writing contests. By high school, she was taking advanced placement courses in English and Speech & Creative Writing. Angela’s love for journaling also had its beginnings in high school and it evolved into prayers journals and detailed notes for prospective book ideas. As a result, Angela is the author of a published 40-day devotional book titled Just When I Thought I Knew God. She also wrote a children’s book that is not yet published.

Although Angela wanted to somehow incorporate writing in her life, she is currently a Certified Human Resources Professional. Angela graduated from Rutgers University in NJ with a double bachelor’s degree in Labor/Employment Relations & Sociology. She also has an MBA from Strayer University.

Angela founded a non-profit 501(C)(3) organization called Head to the Sky, Inc. It was formed in order to assist those in prison with their transition into society and to reduce the rate of recidivism in the community. During this venture, Angela received a certification in grant writing from The Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership at Rollins College. Angela was very passionate about teaching, training, and sharing the love of Christ in this ministry; but she had to refocus her passion when she and her husband decided to start their family.

Angela has been married to the love of her life, Duane Anderson for 16 years. Together they have two sons: Thomas (age 8) and Ryan (age 3). Angela’s favorite pastime is journaling and she also enjoys spending quality time with her family. Her personal mission is to empower others to achieve their goals and dreams.

~*~
Connect with Angela:
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/angela.thomasanderson
Facebook fan page for her devotional book, Just When I Thought I Knew God:
https://www.facebook.com/jwitikg/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelanderson1104/

Devotionals for the Heart: New Year 2021 edition with new writers!

Dear Reader Friends,

Tomorrow (Jan. 1, 2021) marks the start of a New Year!

And it also begins another part of our devotional journey!

I am excited to announce that this year, we have nine NEW regularly scheduled writers, six original writers from 2020 who are continuing to write devotionals this new year, and six backup writers contributing to my blog's tri-weekly series, “Devotionals for the Heart!”

This is the introduction post. Scroll down to see pictures of ALL of my writers (new and old) then read their author bios and starting tomorrow, read the first NEW devotional for this year!

Note: My backup writers will only contribute their original devotionals in emergency cases when my regularly scheduled writers for this year cannot meet their deadline. God-willing, a new devotional will be published every Monday/Wednesday/Friday of every week for all of this New Year 2021.

I hope and pray that God blesses you this New Year with His Peace, Hope, Joy and Love!

May this devotional series bless your heart too.

Love,

Alexis A. Goring, MFA
Founder of "God is Love" blog

~*~

Read on for the author bios and photos of my NEW and OLD regularly scheduled devotional writers for this year...

NEW Author Bio:

Angela Anderson was born in Brooklyn, New York. She was raised in a Christian home in New Jersey. Angela dedicated her life to Christ and was baptized at the age of 12.

As a child in elementary school, she developed a penchant for writing book reports and entering writing contests. By high school, she was taking advanced placement courses in English and Speech & Creative Writing. Angela’s love for journaling also had its beginnings in high school and it evolved into prayers journals and detailed notes for prospective book ideas. As a result, Angela is the author of a published 40-day devotional book titled Just When I Thought I Knew God. She also wrote a children’s book that is not yet published.

Although Angela wanted to somehow incorporate writing in her life, she is currently a Certified Human Resources Professional. Angela graduated from Rutgers University in NJ with a double bachelor’s degree in Labor/Employment Relations & Sociology. She also has an MBA from Strayer University.

Angela founded a non-profit 501(C)(3) organization called Head to the Sky, Inc. It was formed in order to assist those in prison with their transition into society and to reduce the rate of recidivism in the community. During this venture, Angela received a certification in grant writing from The Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership at Rollins College. Angela was very passionate about teaching, training, and sharing the love of Christ in this ministry; but she had to refocus her passion when she and her husband decided to start their family.

Angela has been married to the love of her life, Duane Anderson for 16 years. Together they have two sons: Thomas (age 8) and Ryan (age 3). Angela’s favorite pastime is journaling and she also enjoys spending quality time with her family. Her personal mission is to empower others to achieve their goals and dreams.

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OLD Author Bio:

Chaplain Anderson served for 20 years as a U.S. Navy chaplain. Over 26 years of active duty, he was promoted through the ranks from Seaman Apprentice (E2) to his final rank as Commander (O5) in the Chaplain’s Corps. 

Prior to his Naval career, Chaplain Anderson pastored in the Allegheny East and Potomac Conferences of Seventh-day Adventists. His undergraduate preparation for ministry was completed at Columbia Union College (WAU) in Takoma Park, Maryland.

He has subsequently earned four graduate degrees–a Master of Divinity from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, a Master of Education in Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland and a Masters of Sacred Theology in Religion and Culture from Boston University. His Doctor of Ministry degree was conferred by Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Chaplain Anderson also completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also holds certifications in Suicide Awareness and Prevention, Civil Mediation, Alternative Workplace Dispute Resolution, Temperament Analysis, Marriage Enrichment, Workforce Diversity, and is a certified Life Coach.

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OLD Author Bio:

Christa MacDonald is a 2017 Carol Award finalist for contemporary Christian fiction. She began her writing career at the age of eleven, filling a sketchbook with poems and short stories. 

After publishing a few short pieces in her college's literary magazine she took a long hiatus during which she embarked on a few different careers, got married, had three kids, and renovated an old barn masquerading as a house.

Sweet River Redemption is her three-book Contemporary Christian Romance series published by Mountain Brook Ink.

When not working or writing Christa can be found ferrying her kids around, reading, or attempting something crafty. She and her family live along the coast of New England.

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NEW Author Bio:

Cyndi Staudt is a Jesus-loving, adrenaline junkie who is devoted to living her life for Jesus Christ until the day she is living with Him. 

With a passion for cultivating a craving for God’s Word, her devotions and Bible studies are saturated with faith and hope to stir your soul to connect with God in deeper, more intimate ways.

Through her writing she hopes to ignite your desire to read God’s Word, invite your heart to experience God’s love, and inspire you to live your live life “souled out” to the One whose love has no limits.

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NEW Author Bio:

With an ever-growing desire to continually learn the Word of God and present teachings based on Biblical principles, Erin M. Handley is committed to her calling of teaching and inspiring others to ‘be more by doing more.’ With this in mind, Erin mentors young women and appreciates seeing the growth and change in the lives she impacts. 

While she sincerely enjoys mentoring and speaking to young people, she is most passionate about educating and empowering women from various stages of life about biblical womanhood and how to live out those principles in today’s world. 

For over 15 years, Erin has worked with youth and adolescents in the fields of mental and behavioral health, education, and ministry. When reflecting on her experiences in ministry and non-ministry settings, her most memorable encounters have been those that allowed her the opportunity to teach the Word of God in a way that is most relatable to the audience she served in that moment. She has enjoyed writing since her youth, but only recently felt the call to share her writing with the world.

With an undergraduate degree in English and a graduate degree in Ministry and Pastoral Counseling, Erin M. Handley has been fortunate to be able to leverage her gifts and her passions throughout her career in Education. Aside from reading, writing, and mentoring, Erin enjoys dancing, interior design, cooking, and most other activities which allow her to utilize her creativity.

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NEW Author Bio:

Gena Anderson is a Jesus-lover, writer, nurse practitioner, and blogger who loves to share wellness information and inspiration with the world around her.

She is the author of The Well Woman: A Journey to Wellness Through Loving Jesus, which is available on Amazon.com.

Gena proudly holds the title of wife, mom, and the world’s most average CrossFitter. She loves writing, reading, traveling, and brownies. She's working on that last one.

Gena lives in Hutto, Texas with her husband and two children.

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OLD Author Bio:

Glynis Becker enjoys writing devotions, inspirational short fiction, novel-length fiction, and screenplays. Her film Sinking Sand is available for streaming at Amazon and TubiTv and on DVD and she’s always working on a manuscript, hoping to publish a book someday.

Glynis spent her childhood traveling the country as an Air Force brat, until she attended college at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Once she got her mechanical engineering degree, she decided she couldn’t leave, so she has made her home for the last thirty years in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota with her photographer husband, their two college-age children, and one very cat-like poodle.

She has worked as a software engineer for a defense contractor, an adult ministries director at a church, and currently does paperwork and intake for an adoption agency.

When she’s not writing, working or volunteering, you’ll find her reading everything from Christian fiction to epic fantasy novels, watching TV or cheering for her favorite sports team, the Minnesota Vikings.

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NEW Author Bio:

Hello, my name is Heidy (Reynoso) De La Cruz. 

I am Dominican-American and I’m passionate about writing! I write poetry, encouraging blog posts about personal experiences and any message that God has stored in my heart. I am working on publishing my first poetry book.

First and foremost, I am a daughter of Jesus Christ. I am also a wife and a mother. I have my master’s degree in Healthcare Administration through Belhaven University’s online course. I have my bachelor’s degree in Science with the concentration of Psychology and Healthcare Administration.

I currently work in the medical field as a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist, and I’ve been in the medical field for the last six years. I love my career!

My hobbies include writing, reading, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts, traveling, and spending time with my family.

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OLD Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian journalist, author, blogger, editor, and devotional writer. For the last decade, she’s been the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism, which has won 118 journalism awards during her tenure.

She is the author of Feed My Sheep: A 40-Day Devotional to Develop a Heart for Hunger Ministry (2019) and More Like Jesus: A Devotional Journey (2018) and editor of Stories of Racial Awakening: Narratives on Changed Hearts and Lives of South Carolina United Methodists (2018), all from her newspaper’s Advocate Press.

She is a seasoned speaker and contributor to Crosswalk, Christianity.com, and the United Methodist News Service, among many others. She has a weekly faith blog at JessicaBrodie.com and is part of the team at Wholly Loved Ministries.

Represented by Bob Hostetler of The Steve Laube Agency, she is seeking a publishing contract for her two contemporary women’s fiction novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots. The Memory Garden won the 2018 Genesis Award for Contemporary Fiction from American Christian Fiction Writers, and Tangled Roots placed in Contemporary Romance at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in 2019.

Married, Brodie has four children and stepchildren and lives in Lexington, South Carolina.

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NEW Author Bio:

Jessica Collazo is a Chicago native with a heart that beats for Jesus. Her passion is to challenge women to think differently, gain a new perspective and live confidently. Because she knows it’s possible.

Using God’s Word, a little bit of humor, along with a strategic way of thinking and sharing personal stories, Jessica offers a fresh take on where to go when women feel stuck, overlooked or overwhelmed.

Jessica’s greatest passion is to help women take off the identities they have been given by the world and realize who they are in Christ: known, dearly loved, set apart, and chosen.

Jessica is the customer experience manager at Proverbs 31 Ministries who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, Jerry, two sons and dog, Sawyer. Prior to working at Proverbs 31 Ministries, Jessica has over 10 years of experience working in women’s ministry, marriage ministry and outreach.

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NEW Author Bio:

Learning to read as a young child opened a world of adventure for Kay Pflueger. She came to realize that words can have a unique power and beauty. 

Choosing to share those words in her devotional writings has become a joyful and rewarding experience for her. As a widow, she feels a special affinity towards those who are grieving or experiencing loss.

When she is not spending time with her married son and three grandchildren, she is either reading, cooking, writing, or working on pursuing her Copyediting Certification.

Kay is an avid baseball fan who looks forward every summer to following her favorite team, the Chicago Cubs. Kay is an active member of Victory Lutheran Church in her hometown of San Diego California.

She enjoys writing devotions to be shared on her church’s website and personal social media.

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OLD Author Bio:

Mirachelle Canada is a writer, playwright, screenwriter, and theatre director/producer from Northern Virginia, where she teaches television production at her high school alma mater.

She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Script & Screenwriting from Regent University and is an alumnus of Act One: Hollywood Film & Television Writing Program.

Mirachelle is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, American Fiction Writers Virginia Chapter, The Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, and Your Novel Blueprint.

She is currently working on her first historical fiction novel set during WWII.

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NEW Author Bio:

Monique M. Anderson is a writer, wife, and bonus mom to a 14 year old. 

She just recently unleashed her always present yet hidden talent of writing to the masses. 

She was born and raised in Mount Vernon, NY where she still resides, and serves on the prayer team of her church The Gathering Harlem.

Monique always felt like God was chasing after her, but never felt the need to surrender. Until that is when life started veering left, and she no longer wanted to steer so she finally gave Jesus the wheel. After forming her relationship with God she always felt compelled to share the revelations that the Word gave to her. She always felt the Holy Spirit prompting her to write, but was afraid of what people might think. So her writing started in her journal. The journal turned into a book, and the book into a blog.

Slowly but surely God’s love started to cast out all fear. She started to consistently update her bi- weekly blog called “Yours Truly, Moe.” Her obedience led to further revelation. God revealed to her that He would use her to help others along their walk the same way God helped her along hers. Since Monique did not grow up in church she always felt intimidated by the Christian life. She thought that she would be losing so much of herself, not realizing that she would actually find her TRUE self.

Since God has shown her who He really created her to be, she now feels it is her life’s work to help those that are taking their first baby steps in this walk with Christ. She is doing so through her blog, and soon to be published book. Monique is excited to extend her reach to podcasts and speaking engagements in the near future.

Her blog is the stepping stone to fulfilling the vision God gave to her – “Sharing God’s revelations so we can all reflect his image and fulfill his purpose.”

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NEW Author Bio:

Patricia Russell is a speaker, worship leader, author, certified life coach and songwriter.

Her gifts have been shared internationally with audiences to encourage, empower and share life lessons through words and songs. She has sung on national television broadcasts and shared the stage with several respected speakers. Over her 30 years in ministry, she has been a featured artist in musical cantatas locally and the United States of America.

Patricia had the honor of leading worship at the kick-off event for the 2006 the “Just Give Me Jesus” Toronto Revival with Anne Graham Lotz who is the eldest daughter of Billy Graham, a well-known American evangelist.

Patricia serves in ministry along with her husband Rev. Wayne Russell. Together, they have served as guest hosts on a local early morning call in program called “Nite Lite Live” that formerly aired on the CTS Television Network. They have two adult children Raquel and Benjamin.

Patricia has recorded two CD’s: “Lord I Trust You” and a live recording “Draw Me Nearer.” She is also an author. Her first book is titled Lord I Trust You: Words of Encouragement is meant to further encourage and share life lessons as a result of her cancer journey. She is a co-author of a #1 bestseller book titled Crushed Diamonds Still Sparkle, and she has compiled the recent #1 bestseller book titled Stronger Resilience.

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OLD Author Bio:

Temeka Borden, better known by her pen name “Positivity Inspires,” is an author, speaker, minister, PharmD, multi-state licensed pharmacist, founder and owner of Positivity Inspires, LLC, and most importantly, a servant of the Lord.

She was introduced to Christ at a very early age and was raised in the church. Her ministry focuses on encouraging Christians to love God first, to love all people, to continually strengthen their bond with Christ, and to study His Word, and live His Word daily.
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Dr. Borden has been blessed with a variety of gifts, and she has gained much professional experience in a variety of settings. She also has served in administrative roles in the professional and church settings. In addition to obtaining her PharmD, she also obtained her bachelor’s degree in biology (minor in English), and she is working on her third degree. What’s more, as stated in her words, “I completed a specialty pharmacy residency that prepared me for the workforce and made me a force to be reckoned with.”

Temeka is a long-distance runner, a drummer, a singer, and she has a strong “fashion sense.” She also can read and type at almost supersonic speed in some instances.

Dr. Borden loves to learn and is constantly looking for new ways to challenge herself.

She loves God and she loves people. She is “crazy about her family,” and she adores her friends. She strongly encourages others to show kindness, respect, and love to everyone.

Temeka loves and welcomes diversity and flourishes in culturally diverse environments.

Dr. Borden loves to laugh and loves to make other people laugh. She also is passionate about giving back to the community. Her favorite sayings are “Speak Up!” and “Watch God Work!”

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Read on for the author bios and photos of my backup devotional writers for this year...

OLD Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers.

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

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OLD Author Bio:

Kathleen Rouser is the award-winning author of Rumors and Promises, her first novel about the people of fictional Stone Creek, Michigan. She is a multi-published author of historical and contemporary Christian romance.

Kathleen is a longtime member in good standing of American Christian Fiction Writers and a current member of Novel Academy. She has loved making up stories since she was a little girl. She was so enthralled with the books her mom read to her she wanted to be a writer before she could even read. She’s in the grip of God’s grace and is a fan of the three Cs—cats, coffee, and chocolate.

Kathleen is proud to be the mother of three adult children and mother-in-law to one. She is a former homeschool instructor, a mild-mannered dental assistant, and current Community Bible Study kids’ teacher.

Kathleen lives in Michigan with her hero and husband of thirty-some years, and two sweet cats who found a home in their empty nest.

Her writing is represented by Linda S. Glaz of the Hartline Literary Agency.

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OLD Author Bio:

Malinda Fugate writes from the heart. 

Though she serves full time as the Children’s Education Director at a church in Southern California, she is also a crafter of words published in books. Her writing includes children's faith resources, commercial copywriting, and various faith-based stage and screenplays.

Malinda invites you to explore the various 3:16s in the Bible with her new book, The Other Three Sixteens (published by Ambassador International in May 2020).

She also invites you to read her previously published books: Bible Time for Active Kids, which is an activities-based devotional that is available for purchase on Amazon.com, and The Pen and the Sword: Connecting With the Word of God, which is an interactive creative writing journal.

Malinda earned a communications degree with a theatre emphasis from Azusa Pacific University, and then worked behind the scenes at the Los Angeles Salem radio stations, including The Fish and KKLA.

When she’s not writing or working at church, Malinda might be creating art, reading, or exploring the many adventures to be found in the Los Angeles area. She lives by the beach with her pup, Yoshi.

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NEW Author Bio:

Shirley A. Denson is a native of Statesboro, GA. 

She found out at a young age that she had a creative mind and a way with words. Later on in life, she learned to cultivate her passion for writing as a budding author.

Shirley is very passionate about writing. Each book that she releases will be a product of God stirring and cultivating the gift He’s entrusted her with. She has won numerous writing awards/certificates, and is a published poet and blogger.

For the past six years, Shirley has worked as a professional ghostwriter, editor, and author. It is her joy and goal that through print, she might impact lives and leave the imprint of the King.

Visit her website to stay in the loop about her new book releases, current projects, and to read her blog posts.

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OLD Author Bio:

Writing stories that take the reader on a journey to parts unknown has been a lifelong love for Tema Banner. She enjoys all history and continues daily to hone both her knowledge of history and her writing skills.

God is her guiding light and the reason for every endeavor in her life. She is a member of the South Carolina ACFW chapter as well as an active member of her local RWA chapter, Carolina Romance Writers.

Tema has served as past President and Secretary as well as holding various chair positions. She is the honored recipient of the Harold Lowery Service Award, presented by the Carolina Romance Writers.

God has gifted her with a loving husband, two children and three grandchildren who are the delight of her life.

In her spare time, she gardens and digs into genealogy for nuggets to use in her stories.

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OLD Author Bio:

Wendy Wilson Spooner, Lic. G., LCoT, is a professional Genetic Genealogist by day, a writer by night, and an artist in between. 

Her love of what we can learn from history compels her to write the true stories she unearths during research, and she’s found that truth is indeed, much more exciting and inspiring than fiction.

Wendy writes about family, faith, grief, art, and overcoming obstacles in life by coming to know who we really are—children of God, and, the descendants of remarkable people who paved the way for us—even if they really struggled. She believes in learning from ancestors, honoring them, and then standing on their shoulders to become someone even better. 

As an award-winning author of professional articles and poems, Wendy Wilson Spooner turned to novel writing to share what she knows with a greater audience. When she is not writing or researching, she currently serves as National Vice Chair for Daughters of the American Revolution over Art & Sculpture in the annual American Heritage contest. She also serves as Chairman of the Advisory board for Century Vital Records in Bengaluru, India.

Wendy loves to read, hike, paint, travel, binge on Bollywood movies, and spend time with her greatest loves—her family.

Her debut novel, Once Upon an Irish Summer, released April 3, 2020. It has been a best-seller in the several different genres. She’s looking forward to releasing book two in the series!

~ The End ~