Today we shared for Praise Thursday two powerful devotionals from Our Daily Bread. One talking about the power of storytelling and how humans are connected by the need for a story — read more on it here.
The second devotional was about the story of the “smiling Jesus”, talking about the joy that Jesus had and the joy He can bring to you. Read it here!
Thanks for listening!
– Alyssa
Today we shared some inspiration about forgiveness. Last week we talked about kindness….and part of that is learning to forgive and restore when someone comes to us to apologize for being unkind.
The devotional today is called ‘Feed My Sheep’ – click here to read more from Our Daily Bread.
Thanks for listening!
– Joe
Lately I’ve been convicted about kindness.
I’ve been hearing some horror stories about how people have been treated in the shadow of the coronavirus. Stories from essential workers being yelled at by people because they didn’t have something in stock, or they didn’t do something ‘supposedly’ the right way.
Yesterday morning, I heard from one of my friends, who works at a pretty popular regional restaurant, about how they had to ask a gentleman to leave last week because he was upset there was one item on their newly-reopened salad bar that they did not have.
I started thinking…very transparently…if your life revolves around the fact that you can’t have a certain type of salad; potato, macaroni, broccoli, whatever, then you probably need to look in the mirror and figure out what’s really wrong.
Then I started thinking… have I had moments in my life where I allowed one really insignificant thing to kill my kindness? I actually found a few.
Many of you are familiar with the ABC-TV show ‘Full House’ and the recent Netflix sequel, ‘Fuller House.’ One of the stars is Candace Cameron Bure. She wrote a devotional for Proverbs 31 Ministries a couple of years ago called ‘a call for kindness’ and it has so much significance today. Click here to read it. It encourages us to have great hope in the midst of an unkind world.
I see 2020 as a continuing watershed moment in our faith. Can we be the voice of kindness? Can we be the voice of loving and listening? Are we tuned into people that need an encouraging word today? I certainly hope so.
Titus 3: 4-5 says, “but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our savior appeared he saved us not because of works done by us and righteousness but according to his own mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.“
Thanks for listening!
– Joe
Today we shared two devotionals that remind us about perspective and focus.
The first is called ‘The Lost Envelope,’ from Dave Branon – find the scripture and full devotional by clicking here.
The next is called ‘Intentional Kindness,‘ from Cindy Kasper. Read it here.
Make sure you get your dad registered for our ‘Best Dad Ever’ contest – you have one week to get your entry in!
Thanks for listening!
– Joe
Today our devotional time focused on two themes:
The first, “Where Are You?” focuses on the truth of God’s presence. Read the full devotional from Adam Holz here.
The second, called ‘Alert Circles,’ talks about the strength we get from other believers. Read the devotional from James Banks here.
Thanks for listening!
– Joe
Today I shared a fantastic devotional from Tim Gustafson called ‘A Hundred Years from Now…’
“I just want people to remember me a hundred years from now,” said screenwriter Rod Serling in 1975. Creator of the TV series The Twilight Zone, Serling wanted people to say of him, “He was a writer.” Most of us can identify with Serling’s desire to leave a legacy—something to give our lives a sense of meaning and permanence.
The story of Job shows us a man struggling with meaning amid life’s fleeting days. In a moment, not just his possessions but those most precious to him, his children, were taken. Then his friends accused him of deserving this fate. Job cried out: “Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever!” (Job 19:23–24).
Job’s words have been “engraved in rock forever.” We have them in the Bible. Yet Job needed even more meaning in his life than the legacy he’d leave behind. He discovered it in the character of God. “I know that my redeemer lives,” Job declared, “and that in the end he will stand on the earth” (19:25). This knowledge gave him the right longing. “I myself will see him,” Job said. “How my heart yearns within me!” (v. 27).
In the end, Job didn’t find what he expected. He found much more—the Source of all meaning and permanence (42:1–6).
Find the complete devotional and resources here at Our Daily Bread.
Thanks for listening!
– Joe
College Graduation Prayer – by Karen Barber
Heavenly father, we are thankful today for the accomplishments of discipline, determination and self-sacrifice that have led these seniors to their college graduation. Thank you for the work of the professors in their chosen field and give them the confidence that they are now prepared to give of themselves in service in the disciplines within and beyond our school of arts and humanities. May the skills they have developed be the foundation on which they build successful careers and lives.
Our greatest prayer for them today is that they continue to be lifelong learners who recognize their need to constantly discover more about You, the source of all knowledge and truth. Help them to be diligent in their quest to know You and to discover how You want them to live. As they journey through decisions about jobs, careers, homes, marriages and family may they seek and find Your guidance. And after they have made these decisions, may they constantly seek Your daily help to faithfully live out their chosen callings.
Fill our graduates with gratitude, humility, love and faith. Teach them how to pray. Give them spiritual wisdom and discernment. Help them to hear Your voice…that it drowns out the negative voices of culture. Give them the wisdom and courage to say no to the temptation to put self and things at the center of their lives. Send them strong Christian friends and spouses. Teach them the joys of service and generosity. Keep them close to their families and open to the wisdom of their elders. Help them learn from their mistakes and failures. Show them where to go for help when they need it.
We are aware that as we pray these graduates’ futures into your hands, You are placing the future of Your World and Your Kingdom into their hands. Thank you for your love and your grace and the gift of your son, Jesus Christ.
High School Graduation Prayer – by Jack Countryman
To the 2020 high school graduates, the year you were born was just after the 9/11 attacks and you are now graduating in the year of the COVID-19 virus. You might think this is a coincidence, but we have to believe that God has something special planned just for you. He is preparing something great for your life. Some of you may not be able to walk in a traditional graduation ceremony, but we want you to know that we see you. We pray for you. We celebrate you. We honor your achievements and we cannot wait to see what God does in your life.
Each one of you is special in God’s eyes.
As you look to the future during these troubled times, it is noteworthy to wonder what the Bible has to say about how we should react when we are faced with the challenges of life and changing times. Particularly when you are leaving high school or college and trying to make decisions about where your life is headed.
When you turn to the Bible you will find the answers to whatever you need. The passage I always refer to is Psalm 37:3-7. Verse 3 says,
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. — Psalm 37:3
When we trust in the Lord, we commit our lives into His hands and consciously “feed on” or live on His faithfulness. Verse 4 reads,
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. — Psalm 37:4
The Lord is in essence saying, spend time with Me and I will place godly desires within your heart because I love you and want the best for you. Verse 5 says,
Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. — Psalm 37:5
When you are willing to commit your life to living in the center of God’s will, your relationship with the Lord will flourish.
Jesus is waiting for you to come to Him with an open heart. In verse 6 we find that,
He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. — Psalm 37:6
This is in answer to the previous verses that instruct us to trust, delight, and commit ourselves in the Lord. Do you want to be in right standing with Your heavenly Father? This is an invitation to live each moment of your life in God’s presence and lean on Him to help you with the decisions and challenges that you face each day. If you make that commitment, He will bless your life and give you the peace that passes all understanding.
Finally, verse 7 says,
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. — Psalm 37:7
If we are patient and rest in the Lord and seek Him for every decision we face, God will provide all the wisdom we will ever need.
Let Him be your guide as you embrace the blessings that God has promised you. Delight in His presence and commit your life to living for Jesus. He is waiting to guide each step of your way so you can be all that God has called you to be.
Thanks for listening!
– Joe
Today is the National Day of Prayer! Watch the Knox County service live tonight on the Knox Network of Christian Ministries Facebook page.
Our devotional today focuses on the priority of prayer – from Adam Holz – it’s called ‘Full Attention.’ Find it by clicking here!
Tonight at midnight is the deadline to register your Mom for our “Best Mom Ever” contest – find out more here!
Thanks for listening!
– Joe
Today we shared inspiration from Our Daily Bread and from the book Redeeming How We Talk by Ken Wytsma and A.J. Swoboda.
We also shared EXCITING info about what we’re doing for Mother’s Day – get the details here.
Todd’s devotion is called ‘God-Sized Love.’ Read more here!
Joe’s devotional was about the value of listening.
Consider the three components of communication: speaker, listener and meaning. If words are the seeds a speaker sows, then the listener is the soil. Jesus draws upon this idea in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23). Several times in the gospels, Jesus accuses people of having ears to hear but never hearing. They hear the words but they are not listening. They cannot receive the meaning, so the seed falls on the ground, but because of the preconditions, or the state of our hearts, the word never penetrates the soil in a manner that would allow the seed’s potential to be realized. In other words, it won’t grow.
This is also why the teacher in the book of Proverbs counsels us “to not answer a fool according to his folly.” (Proverbs 26:4). He means that the correction or advice you might offer such a person will fall on deaf ears or sterile soil.
One way we can help our cause is by seeking common ground. Remember that communication isn’t just about the content, it’s also about getting aligned with the other person. If we want to ultimately long for relationship and for dialogue, we must engage the hearts of listeners first. Trying to become united in purpose means that a lot of our communication hinges on grace, permission and trust.
These things usually must exist before we enter into difficult conversations with success. This means we would do well to spend as much time tilling the soil as we spend sowing seeds.
Next to prayer, listening is perhaps the best way to create a positive context for conversation. Listening forces us to exchange hats with others and walk in their shoes. When we exchange hats, we develop empathy and understanding. Then we can more tenderly voice our concerns or offer our advice. We become like a doctor tuned into the sore spots and thus better at treating them. You can never go wrong with listening, but you can rarely go right without it.
Thanks for listening (see what I did there?)
– Joe and Todd
Driving Notes 