Daily Devotional

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.  What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Growing up in church, there was always someone from my family in choir. My grandmother was the church pianist and led the choir. I had aunts, uncles, and cousins who were a big part of the music ministry. I am blessed to share in a small part of that gift of music.  I play a few instruments (not very well) and I love to sing. I have spent some time in the church choir and other music ministries. My talent is limited, but I am always willing to share, especially when it comes to worship.

Part of my willingness to share comes from the encouragement I received from my grandmother, early in life. She gave me a small little sign that hung in my room for many years.

This sign read…

Stephane and Marie-Eve are a couple from Quebec, Canada. They went on a warm vacation to St. Augustine, Florida. While swimming in the warm waters off the Florida coast, Stephane lost his wedding band. He was devastated. They looked and looked but no luck. Others joined in the search to help find this precious reminder of his love for his bride. Before long, they began to lose hope that they would ever find his wedding band.

That is when they spotted Joseph Cook…

On November 1, Christians celebrate All Saints Day. This special day is celebrated in many ways around the world. It is a time to celebrate all the faithful people who followed Christ and now rest from the labors in the kingdom eternal. All Saints Day is significant because it is a reminder to us that our faith is much bigger than ourselves and our local congregation. We are part of a large body of believers, both on earth and in heaven. All Saints Day is a reminder to us that we are not alone in our faith, and the people who have gone before us have helped to lay a foundation of hope and grace that we now build our lives upon…

Tonight, children will fill my neighborhood in search of candy. This includes my own family. They will wear costumes, their glow sticks will light up the sky, and we will witness Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Princesses, and so many more characters swarming the streets looking to fill up their buckets.

Unfortunately, not all families will be celebrating Halloween in this way. Some families have little ones in the hospital. They are unable to go door to door, in the search for candy. For over seven years now, the families who have a child in the NICU at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri are able to experience a little joy, thanks to some special volunteers who help care for these precious newborns. The NICU is for extremely premature babies who need constant medical assistance These babies are unable to go home with their families.  Because of the special needs of these tiny children, their families spend day and night in the NICU.

A group of volunteers with the March of Dimes and St. Luke’s Hospital decided to help the families in the NICU celebrate Halloween…

Many people know about John Wesley. John was the founder of the Methodist movement. He freely used his gifts to help start one of the great awakenings in the life of the church. There is another Wesley that played a significant part in the start of the Methodist movement. Charles Wesley is the younger brother of John. John provided the leadership while Charles provided the poetry, lyrics, and hymns that brought passionate music to the life of the church.

Charles Wesley had many gifts, including preaching, teaching, and scholarship. However, it was his ability to poetically write words that so wonderfully share the story of faith. In his lifetime, Charles Wesley wrote over 6,500 hymns and poems, many of which are still used in worship today…

He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? – Micah 6:8

“go and learn what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” – Matthew 9:13

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.”

“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” -John 6:9

One of the great struggles of our faith is that we easily doubt what God is capable of doing with us, and through us. In part, this comes from limited vision. We sometimes fail to see our gifts as God sees them. We doubt that we have what it takes to make a significant difference. I believe this is why John tells the powerful story of the feeding of the 5000.

John records that Jesus and his disciples travel up a small mountain. They are followed by a massive crowd. When they stop and rest, they are immediately faced with the challenge of how to care for this large group of followers. This is the scene where one of the great miracles in history takes place. This miracle is made possible through the efforts of Jesus and a young boy who has five loaves of bread and two small fish.

While the disciples worried about feeding such a large group, Jesus took the opportunity to teach an important lesson. Jesus asked Phillip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” Phillip, shocked by Jesus’ question replied, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”