Tag: family

December 4, 2025

December 4th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Timothy 5

Highlight Verses:

“Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Essentially, Paul tells Timothy to treat everyone like family.

Sometimes that might not be great advice. Some families can be a little disfunctional.

But in Timothy’s case, we know that his faith was passed to him through his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 2:5) so something was happening right in that family.

My family is scattered across the country and diverse in politics, faith, and lifestyle.

Despite that, if one of us asks for help, everyone steps up. And when we get together,

we put our differences aside and love each other like, well, like family!

May each of us show the same love and respect to all.

How can you practically bring the respect you have for family to those you come into contact with everyday?
How would you hope to be treated, especially by church leaders like Timothy?
November 2, 2025

November 2nd, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 134-136

Highlight Verses:

“Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord! Praise him, you who serve the Lord, you who serve in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭135‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today, I thank God for all those who make church happen, from the Pastor to the set-up crew and everyone in between.

I’ve served in and around churches long enough to know that it can be tough to serve and it can be tough to lead those who serve.

It can be very difficult to balance the demands of family responsibility and ministry.

I’ve seen families torn apart by overwhelming ministry responsibilities.

And I’ve seen other families thrive by working together with one purpose in ministry.

I cannot claim to have all the secrets to thriving as a family, but I know one thing from today’s passage.

God must be praised by what we sing and say and do.

Praise sung to God is precious and awesome.

Bringing God glory by what we say is equally as important.

What we do to bring God glory is what will be remembered by those who witness our lives.

And no one sees what we do more than our families.

Therefore, ignoring our families to spend all our time serving ministry is not bringing God praise.

That’s a tough lesson to learn and I pray we all learn it the easy way.

How have you found a good balance between ministry and family time?
How have you worked together as a family to do ministry?
October 16, 2025

October 16th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Thessalonians 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May God give you grace and peace.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I usually credit Paul with evangelizing the greater Mediterranean region and writing the vast majority of letters to the early Gentile churches.

That’s not exactly how it happened.

From the first day on the road to Damascus, Paul had help.

While he was the main speaker, he never could have fulfilled God’s call for him without many helping him.

Silas was a frequent companion sharing the teaching duties and suffering.

Timothy was his best-known trainee, helping establish the churches that Paul started.

Luke travelled with and helped support Paul, especially toward the end.

Various scribes, disciples, and helpers accompanied him, helping support the work in different ways.

They were a team.

Paul himself taught about the importance of believers working together to do the work of the Church.

While it is possible to be a Christian in isolation, it is far from ideal.

God’s calling for each of us is best accomplished as a body working together.

Paul showed this throughout his letters including the very first line of today’s letter to the Thessalonians.

Have you ever been an isolated Christian? How did that work for you?
What success have you experienced as part of a team?
September 5, 2025

September 5th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 40-41

Highlight Verse:

“So Jeremiah returned to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and he lived in Judah with the few who were still left in the land.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭40‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

At the end of Denver’s primary downtown commercial street, 17th Street, is the grand Union Station Building.

From 1908 until 1931, an ornate archway welcomed visitors in front of Union Station.

On their way out of town visitors received a blessing of Biblical proportions.

“Mizpah” was printed on the outbound side of the arch.

Photo: DPL-WHG

The Hebrew word, Mizpah, is a departing blessing meaning something like,

“May God keep us connected even while we are apart.”

That’s an appropriate name for the town that Jeremiah chose to settle during the exile.

While Jeremiah consistently predicted the exile, he also knew it would end, and the people of God would return.

Until that time he settled in a town that, by its very name, pronounced a blessing of unity for God’s people.

My family is scattered from coast to coast, almost literally (I have one sister 150 miles from the Atlantic Ocean and a brother 13 miles from the Pacific Ocean).

But we are still a family.

We love and support each other despite the distance and differences between us.

While we differ in the expressions of our faiths, I believe we would each accept the blessing of Mizpah.

How do you express blessings on your family and/or friends upon parting?
How do you stay connected with your family and friends?
August 28, 2025

August 28th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Ephesians 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Did you know that you bring God pleasure?

I’ve written before about how I understood God’s love when my first child was born.

To sum it up, there is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect my children and there is nothing my children could do that would make me love them less.

There is one shortfall in that comparison to God’s love.

He chose us!

He made a great sacrifice, literally, to adopt us.

Our middle daughter was adopted by my wife and her late first husband.

They experienced great joy when they brought her home and a second wave of joy when the adoption was finalized.

Of course, we love all our children equally.

God loves the billions of His children equally.

But you and I have the power to bring pleasure to the God who created the universe.

All we have to do is accept adoption into God’s family.

I believe that continues beyond the day of adoption.

Every time with do what He has called us to do, we bring Him pleasure.

What has God called you to do while you are here on Earth?
What do you think of the fact that you give God pleasure?
August 23, 2025

August 23rd, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Proverbs 22

Highlight Verse:

“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭22‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

While I cannot claim to have been a perfect parent, I can say that my parenting style was positively influenced by the work of a man who also influence hundreds of millions of people around the world.

That man, Dr. James C Dobson passed from this world 2 days ago at the age of 89.

His advice through Focus on the Family and other ministries has helped me to improve my abilities to lead my children and keep my values based on the Bible.

While he has been vilified by the woke movement, he was a man who loved God and his family deeply and strived to bring as many as possible into the freedom that the Gospel offers.

His efforts have resulted countless salvations, very high adoption rates in the states he influenced, and hundreds of thousands of children being born who otherwise would have been aborted.

Like me, many millions of parents have been positively influenced by his advice.

While I know that my influence will never reach those levels,

I pray that I leave this world a little better for having occupied it.

And when I move on to heaven, I’ll be sure to thank Dr. Dobson for the positive influence that he has had on my life.

Who has influenced you to be a better person?
What are you doing to influence others?
August 5, 2025

August 5th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 49-50

Highlight Verse:

“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭49‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Judah was the 4th son.

Normally, the firstborn became the leader of the clan on the patriarch’s passing.

In the clan of Israel, that role fell on Judah.

Why?

I wanted to say that it was because Judah looked out for others and had more integrity than his brothers.

But a quick look at Judah’s life disproved that idea. In most ways he was just as bad as his brothers.

As far as I can tell, this blessing of Judah was mainly prophetic.

The people of Judah produced David.

They remained faithful to God longer than the other tribes.

And most importantly, Jesus came from Judah.

The clan I came from has had its share of questionable characters.

It’s also been home to those with more noble personalities.

My hope is to lead my little part of our clan with such integrity that we may be seen as faithful.

How do you use your influence to bring more faithfulness and integrity to your clan?
Who in your clan has influenced you to be more faithful?
June 15, 2025

June 15th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 72-74

Highlight Verse:

“Give your love of justice to the king, O God, and righteousness to the king’s son.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭72‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

On this Father’s Day, I thought we could take a look at one of the most famous father/son relationships in the Bible; that of David and Solomon.

This Psalm is credited to Solomon though I almost wonder if it was started by David and finished by Solomon.

Regardless of the authorship of this verse, it was certainly true of both.

David had already survived the betrayal of an unrighteous son and saw in Solomon the qualities needed to rule Israel.He nurtured those qualities and set things up for Solomon to take the throne.

That doesn’t mean David hated his other children. He was crushed when Absalom died. I’m sure he wanted the best for each of them.

But he also saw that Solomon was uniquely qualified to rule and nurtured that ability in him.

I have four kiddos.

Each one is unique.

I try to encourage each of them to follow the unique path that each has according to their callings, talents, and desires.

That is taking them in four different directions.

But, hopefully, each of those four directions is the right one for each of them.

How did your parents help give you direction in life?
What do you do to help guide your kids (if you have kids)?
May 13, 2025

May 13th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 31-32

Highlight Verse:

“He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted the money you paid him for us.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭31‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I find it ironic that Rachel and Leah are complaining about being sold by their father to the man who bought them.

Reading between the lines, it appears that Jacob treated them much better than their father Laban did.

The very fact that Rachel and Leah felt free to say, “That’s fine with us!” (v.14) shows that Jacob respected them.

What I find sad in this whole story is how Laban made his daughters and son-in-law feel like they didn’t belong in the family.

From his speech later in the chapter, it’s evident that Laban did not see anything wrong with his actions and attitude toward Jacob and his daughters.

I pray that I would never be so blind as to make my extended family feel that disrespected.

If you have grown children and children-in-law, how do you keep them feeling welcome?
If you are younger adults, how do your parents and in-laws make you feel?
How do you positively contribute to those relationships?
April 15, 2025

April 15th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 24

Highlight Verse:

“So they called Rebekah. “Are you willing to go with this man?” they asked her. And she replied, “Yes, I will go.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭24‬:‭58‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In a culture and time when arranged marriages were the norm, it struck me as odd that they asked Rebekah whether she wanted to go be Isaac’s wife or not.

She stepped out in faith, said yes, and was rewarded with a place in history.

This is one of the earliest examples of the fair treatment of women in the Bible. At least it seemed fair in the context of that culture.

It is true that her father and brother already agreed to the marriage, but they gave her an out.

While we aren’t given details of her reaction, we can infer at the end of the chapter that she was at least somewhat excited at meeting Isaac.

After all, it was literally a match made in heaven. (And – no, I am not advocating arranged marriages).

What is your reaction to the way Isaac and Rebekah’s marriage was arranged?
What would you have done in Rebekah’s shoes?

Tag: family

Essentially, Paul tells Timothy to treat everyone like family.

we put our differences aside and love each other like, well, like family!

May each of us show the same love and respect to all.

Today, I thank God for all those who make church happen, from the Pastor to the set-up crew and everyone in between.

It can be very difficult to balance the demands of family responsibility and ministry.

Therefore, ignoring our families to spend all our time serving ministry is not bringing God praise.

From the first day on the road to Damascus, Paul had help.

They were a team.

God’s calling for each of us is best accomplished as a body working together.

“May God keep us connected even while we are apart.”

Until that time he settled in a town that, by its very name, pronounced a blessing of unity for God’s people.

We love and support each other despite the distance and differences between us.

Did you know that you bring God pleasure?

He chose us!

All we have to do is accept adoption into God’s family.

Every time with do what He has called us to do, we bring Him pleasure.

That man, Dr. James C Dobson passed from this world 2 days ago at the age of 89.

Like me, many millions of parents have been positively influenced by his advice.

I pray that I leave this world a little better for having occupied it.

In the clan of Israel, that role fell on Judah.

They remained faithful to God longer than the other tribes.

My hope is to lead my little part of our clan with such integrity that we may be seen as faithful.

On this Father’s Day, I thought we could take a look at one of the most famous father/son relationships in the Bible; that of David and Solomon.

But he also saw that Solomon was uniquely qualified to rule and nurtured that ability in him.

I try to encourage each of them to follow the unique path that each has according to their callings, talents, and desires.

I find it ironic that Rachel and Leah are complaining about being sold by their father to the man who bought them.

What I find sad in this whole story is how Laban made his daughters and son-in-law feel like they didn’t belong in the family.

I pray that I would never be so blind as to make my extended family feel that disrespected.

In a culture and time when arranged marriages were the norm, it struck me as odd that they asked Rebekah whether she wanted to go be Isaac’s wife or not.

She stepped out in faith, said yes, and was rewarded with a place in history.

This is one of the earliest examples of the fair treatment of women in the Bible. At least it seemed fair in the context of that culture.