Tag: revival

October 19, 2025

October 19th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 126-129

Highlight Verse:

“Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭126‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I was a young adult, I ran sound at a major Christian conference center in California. In that capacity I got to sit in on many different conferences put on by a wide variety of groups.

One of my favorites was Jews for Jesus.

Here was this group of believers from a people group that went through the Holocaust just 45 years before. Those who chose to follow Jesus were often shunned by their families.

But their worship was some of the best I have ever seen.

They sang and danced with such joy that none of the other conferences could match.

And they graciously invited me to join in the celebration.

They truly lived out today’s highlight verse.

The Psalms we read today are part of a group of Psalms specifically written for people to sing as they journeyed to Jerusalem for festivals.

Even back then, celebration was built into the culture.

Psalm 126 was written after the exile when Israel was a fraction of the size they were before.

Despite this, or more accurately because of this, they sang and danced with the joy of the redeemed and restored.

Have you been redeemed and restored?
Does the joy in your praise and worship reflect that?
September 26, 2025

September 26th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 48-50

Highlight Verse:

““In those coming days,” says the Lord, “the people of Israel will return home together with the people of Judah. They will come weeping and seeking the Lord their God.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭50‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My daughter’s high school just had their “Homecoming” game and dance.

I put the homecoming in quotes because the previous week was a home game, so it wasn’t technically a “homecoming.”

When I lived in the south, they wouldn’t have dreamed of labeling a game “homecoming” if it was just a random game. It was a die-hard tradition of fall to celebrate the first home football game after the first away game or series of games.

Another tradition in the south was homecoming weekends at church.

They invited everyone who had every attended an older church to a weekend of celebration.

The hope (at least in the more passionate churches) was that the weekend would turn into a revival drawing back people who had walked away from Jesus.

You could say that tradition goes all the way back to today’s verse, when the people of Israel returned to God.

It took 70 years for the people of Israel to return to God. But they came back.

It wasn’t too late for them.

It isn’t too late for you and me.

We can turn a homecoming into a revival.

Do you feel at home with Jesus?
What does coming home to Jesus look like to you?
Are you ready for a revival?
August 19, 2025

August 19th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 3-4

Highlight Verses:

“One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Moses, the man who was miraculously saved by the daughter of the Pharaoh, was just doing his job.

As far as we can tell, it was a normal workday for Moses.

It was hard work because pastureland was very sparse. Moses had to keep moving.

And then, in the middle of what was probably a very boring day,

God spoke.

I’ve never seen a burning bush that was not consumed by the flames. For that matter, I’ve never heard God speaking from any kind of bush.

But there have been times when God interrupted my workday.

Sometimes it was to teach me a lesson. Someone’s words or even an inspiration poster would capture my attention and redirect my thoughts to God’s plans for that moment.

Sometimes it was to use me in someone else’s life. A customer or coworker would open up to me about something that I could bring the Word of God to shed light on their situation.

No matter how mundane your situation may be, God can work in your day-to-day life.

The tough part is to pay attention so you can see or hear when God wants to speak to you or through you.

When have you seen God move in your day-to-day life?
How did you recognize that it was from God? (Or did you?)
August 17, 2025

August 17th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 99-102

Highlight Verse:

“For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭100‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’ve been noticing several posts in social media claiming that Gen-Z is coming back to God in droves.

I checked the research to see if that was true.

According to Google, most research shows that the decline in number of Christians in America has stalled.

As the research is normally out of date by the time it is published, it is quite possible that the downward trend has reversed.

Having been in next generation ministry for a long time, I can tell you the recent trends in our area.

There was a great decrease in church attendance among youth during and just after the pandemic.

Now that trend has reversed.

Our last big student event had record breaking attendance.

More importantly, most of our students are serious about learning more about Jesus, salvation, and how to live the best life.

Why?

Honestly, I see much of the interest lately being driven by celebrities who have turned to Jesus. People like Jelly Roll, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, and Chris Pratt being bold with their faith have inspired many.

Add to that the fact that a large number of Christian influencers have become very popular on Tik Tok and other social media outlets.

Young people want to know what this Jesus is all about.

As in today’s highlight verse, God is continuing His faithfulness to this generation and they are responding!

Now is an amazing time to reach out to the next generation with the Gospel.

I firmly believe we need to take every advantage of this time to share the Gospel.

What first drew you to Jesus?
What are you doing to make that happen for the next generation?
July 20, 2025

July 20th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalm 86-88

Highlight Verse:

“Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David knew what he was talking about here.

He’s been called a “man after God’s own heart.”

But even David had to ask God to give him purity of heart.

Some versions say, “unite my heart.”

David realized that his heart was divided between his selfish desires and dedication to God.

If we are honest, I think we can all say that about our hearts.

It’s likely that our hearts won’t be completely pure until we reach heaven.

In the meantime, we weed out that which divides our hearts.

But just like my yard, the weeds come back.

The gardens of our hearts need constant attention.

May we daily pray, “Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.”

And follow that up with actually removing that which divides our hearts.

Have you made a habit of daily asking for purity of heart?
If you have been doing that daily, how has it changed your life?
July 5, 2025

July 5th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Galatians 5:1-15

Highlight Verse:

“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In the mid 1700’s Reverend Jonathan Edwards realized that faith wasn’t about following the rules and traditions of the church but about the sacrifice Jesus made, and the freedom found in that.

He preached that in his church in New Jersey. The Holy Spirit got a hold of that church and brought such revival that it could not be contained.

Anglican minister George Whitfield caught the same message and took it on the road preaching more than 18,000 sermons throughout the colonies and England.

The Holy Spirit gave the colonists a spiritual freedom and unity not seen since the early church.

That taste of spiritual freedom and unity helped inspire the American Revolution.

We live in that freedom still.

If we trust in Jesus, our freedom goes far beyond our rights here in the USA.

As we revel in the freedom the American Revolution brought us, let’s bring spiritual freedom to ourselves and our country!

How do you remember Jesus in your 4th of July celebrations?
How will you continue to encourage revival through the rest of your summer?
May 20, 2025

May 20th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 33-34

Highlight Verse:

“Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to their proposal.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭34‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’ll give you a minute to go read the rest of this chapter.

Did you read it?

Pretty messed up, huh?

Rape, political maneuvering, deceit, genocide, looting.

It’s almost like one sin led to another.

Oh wait! It’s exactly like one sin led to another.

The sins in this chapter were heinous but the same principle applies to all sin.

Sin unchecked always leads to more sin.

Very often, sin compounds into greater sin with worse effects.

Eventually, it can break down faith and lead to the rejection of Jesus.

Instead of compounding sin, what if we confessed to each other and to God; sought accountability; and prioritized fellowship with each other and the Holy Spirit?

In other words, what if we got involved in a good local church?

If you haven’t already, I suggest you give it a try.

What does your local church do to help you escape from the grasp of sin?
How do you help others do the same?
April 10, 2025

April 10th, 2025
Thursday – Letters

Reading – Romans 15

Highlight Verse:

“Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

You might notice that this doesn’t say “understand each other.”

It most definitely does not say, “Make sure everyone else understands you.”

It says, “accept each other.”
- Not “accept others in your denomination.”
- Not “accept others in your political party.”
- Not even “accept those in your country.”
If we are to accept each other as Christ accepted us, that means that we need to accept all those who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus, regardless of how different they are from us.

We live in a time and place (at least for those of us in the United States) where political differences are extreme even among followers of Jesus.

Pastors from my past whom I held in high regard now hold very different political views from me.

I wish they could see things the way I do but I still hold them in high regard and would gladly work side by side with them to draw people to Jesus.

I dare say that, if we were to put aside our petty political and denominational differences and work together as a united body of Christ, this country would see a revival like never before.

What can we do to build bridges across political and denominational lines?
Are you able to see beyond that which divides us and accept members of God’s family who are very different from you?
March 21, 2025

March 21st, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 34-36

Highlight Verse:

“Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon. There the Lord will display his glory, the splendor of our God.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭35‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today is the first full day of Spring! (Okay, technically it began before sunrise yesterday but it’s the first 24-hour day).

Today’s verse speaks of the land’s break from war to experience a natural revival.

Each Spring brings a natural revival to me.

The days are getting longer. Some fields are already turning green. There’s even an 80 degree day in the forecast!

Tomorrow is our city’s free landfill day so I’ll be clearing some old junk out so I’ll have plenty of room for projects in my garage workshop.

I just need to remember when it’s still light and pleasant out that I told myself I’d get some stuff done in the garage instead of getting sucked into the sofa.

What are your plans for the warmer days ahead?
What will motivate you to take advantage of the evening light?
March 20, 2025

March 20th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Romans 12

Highlight Verse:

“Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This chapter is full of of ways to conquer evil.

My favorite was to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, resulting in knowing God’s good, perfect and pleasing will.

It’s a process, but one that leads to the very best of results.

What was your favorite verse(s) in this chapter?
How does that verse help you in your life?

Tag: revival

One of my favorites was Jews for Jesus.

They sang and danced with such joy that none of the other conferences could match.

Despite this, or more accurately because of this, they sang and danced with the joy of the redeemed and restored.

Another tradition in the south was homecoming weekends at church.

It wasn’t too late for them.

We can turn a homecoming into a revival.

As far as we can tell, it was a normal workday for Moses.

God spoke.

No matter how mundane your situation may be, God can work in your day-to-day life.

Now that trend has reversed.

Young people want to know what this Jesus is all about.

Now is an amazing time to reach out to the next generation with the Gospel.

But even David had to ask God to give him purity of heart.

In the meantime, we weed out that which divides our hearts.

May we daily pray, “Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.”

The Holy Spirit gave the colonists a spiritual freedom and unity not seen since the early church.

If we trust in Jesus, our freedom goes far beyond our rights here in the USA.

As we revel in the freedom the American Revolution brought us, let’s bring spiritual freedom to ourselves and our country!

Pretty messed up, huh?

Sin unchecked always leads to more sin.

In other words, what if we got involved in a good local church?

It says, “accept each other.”

I wish they could see things the way I do but I still hold them in high regard and would gladly work side by side with them to draw people to Jesus.

I dare say that, if we were to put aside our petty political and denominational differences and work together as a united body of Christ, this country would see a revival like never before.

Each Spring brings a natural revival to me.

I just need to remember when it’s still light and pleasant out that I told myself I’d get some stuff done in the garage instead of getting sucked into the sofa.

This chapter is full of of ways to conquer evil.

It’s a process, but one that leads to the very best of results.