June 23

Life Change

And I said, “What shall I do, Lord?” And the Lord said to me, “Arise and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told….”

Acts 22:10 (NAS)

Have you ever felt like you had been waysided by the Lord? Paul must have. I'm sure of it. God got his attention and then took his life in a new (and better) direction.

Sometimes the Lord needs to do something unique with our lives. For me, it came when an Air Force assignment officer told me I would soon fill a remote overseas tour … in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Whoa! Lord, this can’t be right…. But it was right. In spite of being separated from family. In spite of the 130 degree plus desert heat. And in spite of the trouble and turmoil of adjusting to a new culture and manner of life. He saw me through the 9/11 aftermath, Enduring Freedom, and who knows what else. He took care of us all and He stretched me personally.

He taught me the important lessons of life—like trust. In my absence, He gave my wife a new confidence in Him and in herself. And He helped us all appreciate the value of home and close family relationships.

I find it interesting God changed Paul’s life not only for the good of Paul, but also for the good of so many others. I hope He will do the same with me. How about you?


Lord, thank You for life changes. Use them to change me, and use me for Your good.

June 22

Good Growth


… but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:18 (NKJV)


Last night I was startled by my wife’s cry, “Augh! No, it’s finally happened!”

In a minute, my second son, Ryan, came into my study with a sheepish grin. “Guess what, Dad? I’m taller than Mom!”

A similar thing almost happened to me last month as our oldest son stood toe-to-toe and eyeball-to-eyeball with … ME. I’m afraid next year, or maybe next month, I’ll be shrieking, “No, it’s finally happened!”

We all know that life changes and kids grow and sometimes even outgrow us. This is natural and kind of fun, but the thing I am taking joy in is the spiritual growth I see in my boys.

A couple months ago, the Youth Pastor asked my son Drew to preach at the annual youth service. I had to smile for a similar thing happened to me when I was his age. Life, it seems, has its cycles.

When it came time to preach, Drew shared at all three services about the importance of having a daily quiet time with God. It touched me and many others too, and it got me thinking … what if my boys grow up to be spiritual giants?

When that happens, I won’t shriek. I’ll praise the Lord!


Father, help our children to grow! Amen.

June 21

In Harmony with the Spirit


You belong to God … the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. … love comes from God.

1 John 4:4, 7 (NLT)


A popular Christian song today speaks about “the voice of truth.” The fact is, we hear many voices calling out to us, but we can make up our minds to listen and believe this voice of truth.

For us, this voice of truth is the Spirit of God who indwells every true believer in Christ. He is more powerful, more capable, more positive in His good desires for us than any other voice we may hear. Subconsciously, I know this and probably you do too.

Daily, I hear the negatives, the complaints and the doubts. I have a choice. Will I listen to the Spirit of truth? Do I even hear Him, and if I do, will I believe and respond in faith? Or will I choose to believe the negative voices, the shrill cries of this world and the flesh with their insatiable desires to protect and pleasure self? Who do I listen to?

I know the choice I’m making. How about you?


Lord, tune my ears to this Voice of Truth. Drown out the deceptive voices of woe and want. Help me to listen and believe Your Good Spirit. Amen.

June 20

The Power of Christ in Us


And he himself believed and his whole household.

John 4:53 (NKJV)


And all of us have had the veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)


The transforming power of Jesus Christ can impact, not only us (2 Corinthians 5:17), but those around us as well.

Take this nobleman whose son was so terribly sick. The man believed Jesus’ words, the answer that said his son would live, but it wasn’t until he saw the transforming power of Jesus Christ in his son’s healing that he believed in Jesus. When his family saw the transforming power of Christ, first in the son then in the father, they believed as well.

This power can be displayed in our lives too—when we are changed into His image. For as Jesus said, if He is lifted up, He will draw all men to Himself (women and children included!).

While there is a time for us to aggressively lead our families for Christ, there will be more occasions when our families—and for that matter, all those around us—will be most influenced by what they see in us. Most people find persistent kindness and genuine love hard to resist. And … if we are transformed into Christlikeness, that’s exactly what they’ll see.


Father, enter my life in a bigger way. Let others see the transforming power of Christ in me. Amen.

June 19

The Most Precious Thing About Her


… you wives … your godly lives will speak to them better than any words. … You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfolding beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is so precious to God.

1 Peter 3:1, 4 (NLT)


She will not hinder him, but will help him all her life. … When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule….

Proverbs 31:12, 26 (NLT)


I love so many things about my wife. One of them is the fact she is pure honesty. Through and through, she is true to the core. With her, what you see is what you get, and I like that trait. I like it a lot.

She will be the first to admit however, that she is extremely human. It’s when she looks at herself that her truth takes a harder tone. Occasionally, she will reflect on her weakness, on some shortcoming, or something she didn’t do but should have. So, with herself she is less forgiving. Again, she is honest in expressing her feelings, and I understand. This rather firm communication however, is the exception and not the rule.

It is her other words that truly move me. The thing that absolutely melts my heart and wraps me around her finger is when she uses kind, quiet, gentle words. These words are precious to God … and they are precious to me.


Father, rule in my wife’s heart and let her words reflect the beauty of her spirit—gentle, quiet, and precious. Amen.

June 18

Keeping Alert


Keep alert and pray.

Matthew 26:41 (NLT)


A few months back, I heard the most wonderful tip for a healthy marriage: pray together. A well-known Christian leader had shared it was the greatest marriage tip he ever received.

I liked the idea a lot. I love to pray and prayer can be so intimate—it seemed a natural thing to do.

And so, we prayed … for maybe a week. The problem? I decided we should pray … at night … in bed.

Now, maybe that works for some couples, but I must tell you, I can really relate to those disciples who kept falling asleep in Gethsemane. Soon the prayers were snores … and now they are no more….

But you know and I know these are basic truths: intimate times with Him in prayer are helpful and a healthy marriage is important. Bringing the two together makes sense and … it can work wonders for softening hearts and ironing out the wrinkles in relationships.

So what can I say? I’ve got to apply this verse. I’ve got to stay alert, I must pray—for Jesus told me to pray also.

Bedtime prayers are fine, they can be very meaningful, but I think, for me, they will become the sweet afterglow of an earlier and perhaps richer experience.


Lord, help me to find the right time to pray with others—especially my wife. Help us to grow together in Christlikeness. Amen.

June 17

This Attitude


Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.

Philippians 2:5 (NLT)


Jesus Christ was perfect. I am not. Still, Paul tells me to have His attitude. In some ways, this might be easier than I think because Jesus’ attitude was one of humility, and though I am not a very humble person, in reality, I have much to be humble about.

As I understand it, the essence of humility is putting others first, but too often, that’s easier said than done. In fact, I feel the struggle between what I want to do for myself and what I should do for others ... a lot.

I felt this conflict last week when my best friend pulled me aside for a heart-to-heart chat. You see, she had observed I was being a poor time manager. She encouraged me to schedule, to budget, to look at time as if it were money. She even sat down with me, invested her time helping me set out some true priorities.

In some ways, it was a humbling thing to do—to admit my own weakness and to face it with her. But I’m learning. Having this attitude of Christ’s means doing a whole lot more listening. It means giving up on my desires, abandoning my sensitivities and being … transformed.


Lord, You are such an awesome example to me. Help me to be more like You—give me this mind of Christ! Amen.